A MATTER OF TIME - Part 2
by Donna McIntosh
Summary: Time has been restored. Those involved have the memories. How will it affect their lives?


A MATTER OF TIME (Part 2 - conclusion)

(August 1983)

Ennis shivered in the morning sunlight, meager as it was for August, high up in the Big Horns. Jack was pouring more coffee to shake the chill. Realization struck them at the same instant. The coffee pot clattered back to its resting spot on the rocks as they stood and stared at each other.

"You... remember?" Jack asked, not sure if he'd been day-dreaming again, or if the last year actually happened.

"I remember." Ennis said with one of his rare grins before diving at Jack. The two of them hugged, and kissed, and laughed, and cried. "Can't believe any of it happened, but I remember. You too?"

"Uh huh. Every single day." Jack managed to get out between ferocious hugs and kisses. "We're right back in the Big Horns where we were the day it all happened."

"Yep." Ennis gulped. "What do you wanna do? Stay the week like we planned, or go on back?"

"I wanna go home." Jack said; hoping that Ennis would understand his need to see his folks. "I got a see Momma, see if she remembers; and, I don't know – maybe talk with Dad – while he's still around. See if maybe we can sort things out."

"Good. Good." Ennis agreed with a shake of his head as he released Jack, and stepped back a bit wondering what this meant for the two of them. "You want me to come with you?"

"Well sure." Jack answered, a little surprised that Ennis would ask such a question. "None of us goes off alone; remember? We made that promise, both of us, and we're stickin to it." Jack answered as he began gathering up their gear. The fire sizzled as he dumped the coffee over it.

"I was hopin you'd remember that." Ennis gave a little sigh of relief as he helped with the gear. "It's gonna seem strange drivin this old pickup again." He added as they readied for their trip down the mountain.

"We'll get you a new one as soon as we get things settled." Jack promised.

"We got a remember, Jack, there ain't no more a this free shoppin. We got a pay for things now." Ennis reminded him.

"We'll work it all out. But first, I got a talk with the folks." Jack assured him as he dumped his cigarette, and mashed it out with the toe of his boot.

"Sure enough." Ennis agreed as they each climbed into their pickups, and headed down the winding mountain trail. He had only the slightest hesitation as they drove towards Lightening Flat. He knew it was his home now; he just hoped that Mrs. T. remembered everything. He refused to let himself think about how Mr. Twist would react to Jack bringing him home.

They pulled up in front of the old place and got out. Leaning back against his truck, Jack lit a cigarette and handed one to Ennis as he joined him. "Just look at this place!" Jack shook his head with disgust. "After all the work we did—it's the same old dreary place it always was."

"We fixed it up once; we can do it again." Ennis offered.

"I wonder where Momma is. She usually sees me comin up the driveway, and comes out to meet me." Jack looked around, thinking that maybe she might be out in the garden.

"Didn't she say somethin about bein at the bank when it happened?" Ennis reminded him.

"That's right; but that would a been hours ago." Jack said.

"Maybe they stayed in town for lunch, or somethin?" Ennis suggested as he glanced around. He didn't remember the house being quite this run-down, quite this shabby.

"Let's go see if we can find 'em." Jack suggested, and motioned for Ennis to join him in his truck.

"Okay. Let me turn the horses out into the corral first." Ennis said before joining him in the truck and adding after they started out, "Maybe I should find myself a place to sit for a while; at least until we're sure that she remembers." Ennis offered. "And what about your dad? He won't know nothin from nothin if you come draggin me along."

Jack stepped on the break, stopping the truck half way down the driveway causing them both to jerk forward. "Ennis... If you remember everythin, then you gotta remember that you _promised_ that we were gonna be together for the rest of our lives; no matter what. You remember that?"

"Yeah, Jack, but..."

"No buts!" Jack insisted. "I don't know exactly how we're gonna tell the old man yet, but this place is your home now, and nothin he, or anyone else, says or does is gonna change that!"

Ennis said nothing for a while, and Jack started the truck again.

"It seems strange; seein cars and people again." Ennis said a short time later as they entered the little town of Lightening Flat.

"Yeah." Jack answered as he pulled his truck into a parking space in front of the bank. "It almost makes me wish they'd all disappear again."

"You don't mean that, Jack."

"Yes, I do!" Jack insisted as he pulled into a parking spot in front of the bank. "Everythin was just perfect as it was."

"Except for the trouble makers." Ennis agreed.

"Yeah, but we were able to handle 'em all right." Jack argued as he lit a cigarette and pointed to a pickup. "That's the folks truck. Let's go inside. I can hardly wait to see Momma." Jack said.

Ennis agreed with a grunt, and the two of them headed inside.

"Good morning. How can I help you today?" The twenty-something gal behind the window greeted them with a smile.

"Hi; my name is Jack Twist, and I'm here to see my Mom."

"Oh... um... Just a minute." The girl said and dashed into a side office.

"Jack Twist!" The bank president came striding out, hand stretched out for a shake. "Good to see you again."

"Hi, Harvey." Jack greeted him with a warm handshake. "This here's my buddy, Ennis del Mar. Ennis this is Harvey Reid; we used to go to school together-'bout a hundred years ago."

The two men shook hands and nodded.

"Harvey, I come to see Momma. She's in here somewhere; in the safety deposit box area, I think." Jack explained as he looked towards the back where the safe was.

"Jack, I'm sorry as hell to have to tell you this. Your mom was here, but..." Harvey stalled out.

"What? What is it? She ain't here?" Jack asked, a bit unsettled. "But their truck's outside in the parking lot. Where'd she go?"

"It's your dad, Jack." Harvey said as he placed a comforting hand on Jack's shoulder. "He was waitin out front for your Mom, like he always does, and he just collapsed."

"Wh... where is he?" Jack stammered.

"We called an ambulance in from Gillette. They come and got him, and took him to the hospital there." Harvey said.

"The people that come in the ambulance... did they say what was wrong with him?" Ennis asked as Jack seemed to be dumbstruck at the moment.

"Well, they're not doctors, just EMTs, but from what I could gather from all the medical talk, they seemed to be thinkin it's a heart attack." Harvey explained. "Your Mom said that you'd be by, and to tell you to come to the hospital in Gillette."

Jack spun around and headed out the door on a run, Ennis right behind him.

Roberta Twist was sitting alone in the waiting room when they arrived.

"Momma?" Jack called to her as soon as he saw her.

She turned a sad face up to him, stood, and was swept up in his embrace.

"He's gone, Jackie. He's gone." She wept silently against his chest.

"Oh Momma, Momma." Jack crooned as he held her.

Ennis stood a few paces back; watching the scene, knowing this was their own private grief that he had no part in. His heart ached for Jack, knowing how much he had hoped to make things right with his dad. Now that chance was lost forever.

"Jackie... Ennis!" She reached a hand out to Ennis, and he walked over to her and took it. "I... I remember. Do you?" She asked as she looked from one of them to the other.

"Yes, Momma." Jack answered solemnly as he swallowed his pain, and tried to comfort his mom.

"Uh huh. I sure am sorry." Ennis mumbled as he held on to her hand unable to speak any further.

"Well... now that I have my two sons back... I guess we'll just have to start all over again." She gave a grim little smile as she dabbed at the tears with a tissue. The three of them left then, and headed on home.

The phone was ringing off the wall when they got there. Jack answered it. It was a concerned neighbor who had just heard the news. He had no sooner put it down when it rang again. This time, he let out a whoop and yelled, "Marty! Yes, yes of course! Come as soon as you can!"

"Good, good." Ennis said after seeing Mrs. Twist to a chair, and getting a pot of coffee started. "At least we'll have some help gettin the place back into shape."

"Oh I just hate that you have to do all that work over again." Mrs. Twist said with a sigh as she looked around her drab dining room.

"It don't matter Momma." Jack came to her side. "We'll have it all back again before you know it."

"Yes, I suppose." She dabbed her eyes with a tissue. "It won't never be the same though. Not without everyone here."

"We can't do nothin about that." Ennis answered with a heavy heart. He missed his kids!

Jack jumped up to answer the phone again. "Walter! Great! Yes. We can sure use the help. What about the others? Okay, good. We'll see you when you get here."

"That'd be the Army, I take it?" Ennis asked as he joined them at the table.

"Yeah. Walter, Allan and Mike. They got three more days before they're discharged. He said to look for them the end of the week." Jack said, and when the phone rang again, he pulled the cord out long enough to reach the table so he could sit with them.

"Hello?" Jack said, and his face clouded over as he handed the phone over to Ennis. "It's Charlie."

"Charlie?" Ennis asked, but all he could hear in the background was yelling and screaming and little Carrie crying her heart out. "Charlie! Can you hear me? What's happening?" Ennis stood and began to pace the short distance the phone cord would allow.

"Daddy, can you come get us?" The whisper was so faint, and the noise so loud he could barely hear.

Another loud scream, this time from Cody he was sure of it. "What's going on, Charlie? Why's your dad so mad?"

"WHO YOU TALKIN TO? GIMMIE THAT PHONE!" He heard K.E.s drunken voice roar, then a loud smack, and the phone went dead.

"Jesus!" Ennis began to tremble with anger. "He's hurtin the kids, Jack."

Mrs. Twist's hand covered her mouth, but there was no holding back the tears.

"Okay. Okay." Jack jumped up. "Let's go. We're gonna go get 'em."

The three of them began gathering a few things together for the trip. The phone rang again and they all stared at it for a moment. Mrs. Twist finally picked it up. "Hello? Oh yes, dear. He's right here." She handed the phone to Ennis.

"Daddy, Daddy!" A desperate Jenny cried into the phone. "Come get me! Hurry!"

"Jenny, honey?" Ennis said into the phone; sickened by his daughters loud sobbing.

"Don't you bother comin round, Ennis. She's just throwin one a her little fits." Alma's voice came on to the phone. "Daddy, daddy! Please come!" He could hear Jenny pleading in the background.

"What's she all hysterical about?" Ennis asked, but he already knew the answer to that question. Jenny remembered like the rest of them did.

"Oh I don't know. I think she's havin some kind a breakdown or somethin. She keeps screamin about

her baby, and goin home to Lightnin Flat. Now we both know she ain't never had no baby, and she sure hasn't been in no town called Lightnin Flat!"

"Is your momma there?" Ennis asked.

"What? Now why in the world would you ask that?" Alma asked, then said, "Hold the phone. Someone's at the door."

"Daddy, Daddy?" Jenny had grabbed up the phone again. "You're comin to get me; aren't you?"

"Gimmie me that phone, Jenny. You need to go lie down. Momma, see if you can't get her to go lie down." Then into the phone Alma said, "I got a go. Momma's here now. She'll get Jenny settled down. I swear, I don't know what's gotten into that girl."

"Alma, let me talk with your momma a minute." Ennis caught her before she hung up.

"Momma? What do you want to talk to Momma for?" Alma asked.

"Please, Alma. I need to speak with your momma." Ennis pleaded.

"Ennis?" Mrs. Beers took the phone from her daughter's hand.

"You okay, Mrs. B.? You... remember?" Ennis asked.

"Yes, yes; and poor Jenny is simply hysterical." She answered.

"Tell her I'll be there to pick her up as soon as I can get there. You comin too?" Ennis asked.

"Oh, Ennis! I was so hopin you'd ask. YES! I've already got my things together, and I got us a truck and camper. I'll have Jenny ready to go when you get here."

"Oh no you won't!" Alma's voice sounded angrily in the background.

"Okay, good. Just try and keep out a Alma's way until I can get there. It's gonna take us about four hours." Ennis told her.

"Will do." She said, hanging up the phone, and cutting off Alma's angry tirade in the background.

"We need another truck. One with a camper." Jack said as they wolfed down the sandwiches Mrs. Twist was making for their lunch. "Only place close is Gillette, and that's in the opposite direction we're goin."

"Hello?" Mrs. Twist answered the phone while the men talked. "Oh thank you dear, but right now I just need to be alone. My son is here, and that's all I need for now. We'll make arrangements and let everyone know. Thank you again, and please pass the word that for the next few days, we just need to be by ourselves."

"Riverton's got a dealership. I know they got trucks, but I don't know if they got any with campers on 'em." Ennis said around a mouthful of sandwich.

"Well, we'll just have to chance it. Maybe we can find at least a camper and have it put on my truck." Jack said as he drained his coffee cup.

"Mrs. B. said she got a truck with a camper. So at least we'll have one, and that'll be enough to carry the kids."

"Good, good." Jack said as he rinsed out his cup. "We won't have to worry about another camper right now then."

Mrs. Twist stacked the rinsed dishes in the rack, and dried her hands. They were about to leave when the phone rang again.

"Let it ring." Jack said.

"No, we can't do that. It might be one of our family." Mrs. Twist said as they closed the door and came back in.

"It might be Charlie again." Ennis said and grabbed up the phone. "Hello?"

"Daddy? It's Gloria." The timid little voice said.

"Gloria, honey; are you okay?" Ennis asked, relieved to hear from her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I wanna come home!" Her voice trembled.

"All right, now don't go gettin upset, sweetheart. Where are you?"

"I'm at a pay phone." She answered.

"We're headin out the door right now to pick up Jenny and Mrs. B. in Riverton, and then to Sage for the kids. We can't get up to Jackson before mornin. You got some place to stay the night?"

"Yeah. That cellar I told you about. I'll be goin there right after work."

"Okay. Just tell me how to find it." Ennis said, and took his notebook out of his pocket.

"209 Cypress. You can't miss it. It's right on the corner of Fifth and Cypress. It's a big red brick house and there's a bright red For Sale sign in the front yard." She said. "Come around the back. You'll see where a cellar window has been boarded up. Just knock there. You're coming? You're really coming?"

"Yeah, sweet girl. We're comin to get you. We'll work out the legal stuff later, but right now you need to be with us, where you belong." Ennis assured her.

"Oh Daddy! I'm so scared." She began to weep.

"Don't be, darlin. We'll be there to get you soon as we can. You just finish up your work day, and get yourself to that cellar. It's a long drive though, and we got a couple stops to make, so don't be lookin for us before mornin or early afternoon."

"I'll be ready, Daddy. Drive careful, but please hurry. I wanna go home!" Gloria wept.

"Take care a yourself now darlin. We'll see you soon."

"Love you, Daddy!"

"Love you too, sweet girl."

Ennis hung up the phone, shoved his notebook into his pocket and they left quickly before the phone could ring again.

"What if Marty and Alice show up before we get back?" Mrs. Twist asked.

"I'll leave 'em a note." Ennis said, and scribbled something quickly on his pad and stuck it in the crack of the screen door before jumping in the truck and off they went.

Three and a half hours later they pulled up in front of Alma's house.

"Jeez, I hate comin here." Ennis said, and nervously lit a smoke before stepping out of the truck. "I sure hope she's ready so I don't have to spend time arguin with Alma."

Before he even made it to the steps, Jenny came flying out the door and into her daddy's arms; followed by Mrs. B. and Alma screaming at the both of them. "Have you two lost your minds? Why on earth would you want to go off, and live on some dirty old ranch for, when you got this beautiful home to live in?"

Mrs. B. was loading Jenny's things into her camper, and calling to her with a big happy grin. "Come on, Jenny. Let's get on the road."

"Lets get out a here." Ennis said, and with one last hug, Jenny jumped into Mrs. B.'s truck, and they headed out with Alma screamin at them all the way.

"That was nice and quick." Mrs. Twist said as Ennis hopped back in.

"Yep. Just the way I like it." Ennis said. "I'm afraid it won't be that easy once we get to Sage."

"Yeah, I was wonderin about that." Jack asked as they headed for the highway, and out of Riverton with Mrs. B. and Jenny following along behind. "You just gonna go in and take the kids?"

"I don't know yet, Jack." Ennis said. "I'm playin it by ear here. I just know I ain't leavin town without 'em."

"You think K.E. will let them go?" Mrs. Twist asked.

"You never can tell with K.E." Ennis answered.

"It'll most likely depend on whether he's sober or not." Jack added.

"You're probably right about that." Ennis said, and after a minute added, "I wonder if he remembers?"

"He was pretty drunk last time we saw him. Maybe he won't remember." Jack hoped out loud.

"We need to pull over, and talk to Jenny and Mrs. B., and explain to 'em that we're not headed straight home, but over to Sage." Ennis said.

When they stopped, Jenny came rushing to Ennis' side, and clung to him. "Oh Daddy! Thank you for comin for me. I was so miserable and scared when I woke up back in that house again. Momma thinks I'm crazy, and I think I'd a gone crazy for sure if Grandma hadn't showed up."

"Well, we'll get you home as soon as we can, Darlin." Ennis said. "The reason we pulled over was to let you know that we ain't headed to Lightning Flat right away."

"Why not?" Jenny asked quickly.

"I got a call from Charlie. Things are pretty bad in Sage, and we're headed there to get things straightened out."

"You worried that Uncle K.E. won't let the kids go?" Jenny asked.

"Uh huh." Ennis answered. "But I tell you one thing, we ain't leavin Sage without 'em."

"I hope there won't be any trouble." Mrs. B. offered.

"I don't want no trouble, but I ain't leavin my kids there with no drunk!" Ennis said adamantly.

"And there's the side trip up to Jackson." Jack added.

"Jackson?" Jenny asked.

"Yeah." Ennis confirmed. "Gloria called. She's wantin to come home."

"Oh good! I miss her so much!" Jenny said and gave her dad another hug.

"Lets let back on the road then, and go get the rest of our family." Ennis said, and they loaded up again and took off.

They stopped at a burger place in Lander for dinner then drove on through to Rock Springs where they found a motel for the night.

"I almost forgot to pay." Jack said as they checked out the next morning. "I got really used to that free shoppin we been doin."

"Yeah, Jack." Ennis said. "We got to remember that we have to pay for everythin now."

"I got some cash money with me." Mrs. Twist said. "Five hundred. And there's a small bank account and an insurance policy too."

"I've got some cash too." Mrs. B. said. "I made a quick sale on my house this afternoon, so I'll have that money soon."

"I've got about thirty dollars left from my allowance." Jenny offered. "It's not much but it might help."

"Good, good." Ennis said. "Everyone just hold on to your cash for now. I got a little bit in the bank in Riverton that I need to get out, and some in my trailer. We'll stop on the way back, and pick it up."

"We don't need to be worryin about money right now. I got credit cards that will get us through the next few days. What we need to be thinkin about is the kids, and how we're gonna talk K.E. into lettin them come home with us." Jack said.

Breakfast over, they headed for Sage.

It was a little after nine in the morning when they pulled up in front of K.E.'s house. A white van with 'Lincoln County' printed on the side was in the driveway.

"I wonder what that's all about?" Jack asked. "You want me to come in with you?"

"No." Ennis answered as he squared his hat on his head, and reached for the door handle. "This is for me to do." He stepped outside, and turned back to talk with Jack through the window. "It might take a while so don't get anxious. He ain't gonna do nothin serious with the county people there. It'll probably be just a lot a talkin; arguin and such." With a confident shake of his head, he headed up the sidewalk, gave a rap on the door, opened it, and went in.

Carrie saw him first, let out a shriek, wrenched herself away from the woman holding her, and ran into Ennis' arms. He swooped her up, hugging her mightily. K.E. was no where in sight, and the welfare worker stared dumbly at Ennis a full minute before asking who he was.

"Ennis. Ennis del Mar." Ennis managed to stutter out.

"He's here!" Ennis could hear Cody's voice from the bedroom, and in seconds he was bombarded by both boys clinging to him.

"I told you he'd be here!" Charlie was saying. "He's our uncle, and he's gonna take care of us."

"Where's K.E.?" Ennis asked the second woman who had been in the bedroom with the boys.

"He's been taken into custody. Are you a relative?" She asked.

"Yes. I'm here to take the kids." He said as if it was already a decision made. He cringed when taking a closer look at the boys. Both had bruises, Charlie had a black eye and split lip. All three children skinny beyond words. "Your dad do this?" He asked the boys.

"Uh huh." They both said.

"We've gotten several reports from neighbors on this family. How is it you're only just now showin up?" One of the women asked.

"I been livin in Riverton. I had no idea things had gotten this out a hand until Charlie called me yesterday." Ennis explained.

"You're their uncle?" She asked, and began scribbling notes on her clip board.

"That's right." Ennis answered. "K.E.'s my brother."

"And you have a place for the children in your home in Riverton?"

"I just took a new job on a ranch in Lightnin Flat, up in Campbell County. We got a big ole house with tons a room. That's where we'll be livin." He said.

"We'll need an address, and confirmation of employment." the woman said.

"Sure enough. I got the ranch owner out in the truck. He drove me here to get the kids." Ennis told her, and to Charlie he said, "Jack's out front. Run on out and tell him to come in."

Jack was leaning against his truck smoking a cigarette. Mrs. Twist had joined Mrs. B. and Jenny in their truck as they waited.

"Jack!" Charlie called as he ran to him.

"Jesus, Charlie! You all right?" Jack said after giving the boy a hug and taking in his bruises.

"I'm fine now that you're here. Uncle Ennis says for you to come inside. He needs you to tell the welfare ladies that he works for you. I guess he needs to have a job before they'll let him take us."

Jack came through the door, a confident and friendly smile on his face. The ladies introduced themselves and they all stood around to talk. The place was too filthy for any of them to feel comfortable enough to sit down anywhere.

Thirty minutes later, they walked out of there. Everyone satisfied that the children belonged with Ennis. At least for the time being. He was told that an investigation would have to be made and someone from Campbell County would be showing up to inspect the house where the children would be living. Permanent custody of the children would have to be decided by the court as would whatever was to be done about K.E. and his mistreatment of the children. He was also told that there would be no compensation from the County as he was a relative. He told them he didn't want any money from them, he just wanted the children.

"Well I can certainly see that they are attached to you. I think this is the best resolution of this matter for all concerned." She actually smiled as she said good-bye.

The boys ran to the trucks waiting at the curb; Carrie was sound asleep, both arms still around Ennis' neck, her head resting on his shoulder. Mrs. B., Mrs. T., and Jenny all came out of the truck to greet them with hugs and kisses, and worrying over their condition.

"We need to get on the road before those ladies decide to change their minds." Ennis said.

"Mrs. B., how about we trade trucks so the kids can be with Ennis." Jack asked. "You think that'd be okay?"

"I think that's a grand idea." Mrs. B. said and tossed her keys to Jack.

"My keys are in the truck. I guess I got used to leavin 'em." He smiled at her.

So Mrs. B. and Mrs. T. and Jenny loaded up in Jack's truck; and Jack, Ennis and still sleeping Carrie, loaded up in Mrs. B.s truck, with the boys in the camper. On the road a bit, Ennis explained to the boys through the window that they were heading up to Jackson to get Gloria. They were thrilled.

It was almost noon when they pulled into Jackson. Jack's stomach growled and Ennis grinned at him.

"That stomach a yours is soundin off." Ennis teased. "We best plan on gettin some lunch before we take off again."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Jack grinned. "Soon as we get Gloria, we find us a place to eat."

The house was easy to find. The main street in town was First Street so they drove over to Fifth and kept going until they spotted Cypress Street. Right there on the corner sat a big red brick house with a For Sale sign in the front lawn.

"There it is." Ennis called out, and Jack made the turn up into the driveway.

"I think it's best we all get out and go wanderin around lookin at the place like we're perspective buyers." Jack suggested. "Then when we walk around back we won't look suspicions, and if we come back around and there's one more of us, I don't think no one will even notice."

"Good idea, Jack." Ennis complimented him as they climbed out, and told their plan to the others.

Everyone got out and wandered up to the house. They went up on the porch and looked through the windows, came back down and headed around the side. Ennis bent down and knocked on the wood covered cellar window. A moment later the wood came down, a stuffed pillowcase was shoved out, followed by Gloria.

Ennis hugged her hard, and she clung to him. "Thank you for comin for me, Daddy. I was so scared. Scared it was all a dream."

Jack secured the wood back over the window, and Ennis explained to Gloria that they were all going to walk slowly back to the truck still pretending to be potential buyers of the place. Gloria climbed into the camper with the boys, and Carrie, who was now wide awake, and happy as a clam to be on another road trip.

"We're starvin, Gloria." Ennis said through the window. "Where's a good place in town for us to eat?"

"We passed a burger place on the way in. That any good?" Jack asked.

"Oh no; don't go there." Gloria answered. "That's where I been workin. You want burgers or real food?"

"We had burgers yesterday." Jack said. "How about real food today."

"Okay by me." Ennis said, happy and relieved now that he had his kids back. At least five of them.

"There's a little diner back up on First Street. It's just a small place but the food is great, and it's not expensive." Gloria said.

Lunch behind them, they took to the road, stopping in Rock Springs again for the night where they spent a bit of time shopping for the children.

They were very happy and relieved the next morning when they headed home. It was mid morning when they stopped in Riverton. Ennis took everyone out to his trailer to wait while he went to the bank and closed out his account. While he was gone, Jack made some phone calls and found a place that had a few pickup campers to sell, and when Ennis got back, they went over and bought one for Jack's truck.

Ennis' trailer hooked up behind Jack's truck, and Jack back driving his own vehicle again, they headed for Lightning Flat. They arrived home late afternoon to find Marty and Alice waiting for them in their camper in the driveway.

"You should have gone inside." Mrs. Twist said as she greeted them both with a hug. "We left the door unlocked in case you got here before we got back."

"We didn't get to leave as early as we wanted so we only got there this morning." Marty explained. "I see you got the children all right."

"We did." Ennis said, proud that he had accomplished his goal.

"Let's get inside. I can hear the phone ringin." Jack said, and herded everyone inside.

"Gee..." Cody said when they got inside. "What happened? It's all different."

"It's the way it was before, silly." Charley said. "We got a fix it up again is all."

"That's right." Ennis said, never too far from his boys. "We'll get it all fixed up, and it'll be just the way we want it again."

"We'll help too!" Charlie said eagerly.

"Me too!" Cody added, his bruised face shining with happiness.

Jack and Mrs. Twist busied themselves with answering the phone and making funeral arrangements, while Marty and Ennis, the boys following him every step of the way, concentrated on the ranch work. Mrs. B. and Mrs. S. spent time in he kitchen while Jenny just wandered around kind of lost in all that was happening. Neighbors and visitors started arriving with covered dishes and condolences, and were informed that the funeral would take place the next morning.

"Jackie, it's for you." Mrs. Twist said, and handed him the phone.

"Hello?" Jack took the phone, weary now from all the funeral planning as well as the trip. "Lureen? Hold on a minute. What's got you all upset. I'm not due back for another couple a days."

"If you ever once thought of someone else besides yourself, you might have called and checked on your family!" Lureen railed.

Lureen's angry voice surprised him. She never seemed to care before exactly what day he got home, and he never called home before during one of his trips. "What's wrong? Is it Bobby? Somethin happen to Bobby?"

"No, it's not Bobby." Lureen said, pausing to light a cigarette. "It's Grandma Joan Marie. She passed away... the day after you left."

"Oh, Lureen. Honey I'm so sorry. I know how close the two of you were." Jack tried to soothe her.

"Well, she's been ailin for the last year now. I guess I knew it was just a matter of time. I need you to come home."

"I can't right now. Things are happenin here, Lureen." Jack tried to explain, but Lureen cut him off.

"I don't care what's happenin up there, Jack. I said I need you here, and I mean it!" Her angry voice had a hard edge to it that she used occasionally in making business deals, but she'd never used on him before.

"You don't need me there for the funeral." Jack explained. "I've got..."

She cut him off again. "I don't care what you've got going up there, Jack. And I don't need you for the funeral. We buried her yesterday. What I need you for is the reading of her will. You're mentioned in it, and it can't be read until everyone mentioned in it is present."

"Lureen, it's not gonna happen. I got a funeral of my own to see to." Jack answered firmly.

"A funeral? Not your fishin buddy?" Lureen actually seemed concerned.

"No." Jack cleared his throat. He still could hardly believe it himself. "My daddy. He passed a couple days ago. The funeral's tomorrow."

"Oh, Jack, honey. I'm so sorry." Lureen was full on compassionate now. "I know the two a you never did get on, but he was your daddy. I'm so sorry."

"Thank you Lureen." Jack swallowed hard.

"Could you come home the day after then? This will readin is very important to me, Jack. Bobby and I are both in it as well as you, and the nursin home she was in. The lawyer for her estate is really pushin to get it settled."

"All right." Jack sighed. The last thing he wanted to do right then was make the drive to Childress, but he had no choice. He had to do this for Bobby as well as for Lureen. This would give him a chance to tell her of his plans to move permanently up to Lightning Flat. "Pa's funeral is ten o'clock tomorrow morning. I'll take off right after."

"Oh thank you, darlin." Lureen cooed, sweet as all get out now that she was getting her own way. "I'll set the readin up for day after tomorrow then. And, Jack; you need to talk to Bobby. He's been actin real strange the last few days. He tried callin you several times, but couldn't get through. I guess you were at the hospital or somethin. Anyway he needs to talk to you real bad, but he won't say why. Him and his friends are plannin somethin, I think. They always got their heads together whisperin. I guess it's 'man' stuff. Anyway, you'll have to spend some time with him when you get home. Find out what it's all about."

"I'll take care of it when I get there." Jack said. "It'll be late when I get in so don't bother waitin up for me."

"Okay. You drive carefully now, Darlin. Bye."

Jack sat, lost in thought, and drummed his fingers on the table top.

"Is everythin all right, Jackie?" Mrs. Twist asked.

"Yeah; I guess so. I need to make a trip to Childress. Lureen's Grandmother passed away. It seems I'm mentioned in the will, and the lawyer says the will can't be read until everyone mentioned in it is there."

"Well that's a shame." Mrs. Twist patted her son's arm. "That was kind of her to remember you."

"She was a sweet thing, Momma; and I liked her a lot." Jack said.

The kitchen door opened then, and Ennis came in, leading Walter, Allen, and Mike. Jack stood up and gave them each a welcoming hug before pulling Ennis aside and telling him about his trip to Childress.

"It'll give me a chance to tell her that I'll be returning to Lightnin Flat, and I won't be comin back to Childress." Jack explained.

"Good. That kind a thing is best done face to face. Best to get it over with." Ennis said.

"I'll leave tomorrow right after the funeral." Jack said, not at all looking forward to the trip.

"Now, wait a minute here." Ennis stopped him. "What happened to 'we do everything together'? Don't you mean _we_ leave tomorrow after the funeral?"

"I just didn't think anybody would want to go." Jack said.

"Go?" Walter asked. "Where we goin?" Everyone crowded around Jack for an answer.

"Childress." He explained. "I have to go down there for the readin of a will. My wife's granny passed, and mentioned me in her will. The lawyer refuses to read it until everyone is there. But I've made this trip hundreds a times by myself. There's no need for all of you to come along."

"That's beside the point." Mrs. Twist pointed out. "We made a agreement a while back... when things were different... that no one would go off alone."

"That's right." Marty chipped in. "We've already made the trip to Childress once; and if we can make a trip all the way to Alaska and back, a second trip to Childress will be a piece of cake."

"That piece a cake is nine-hundred sixty-eight miles; and I usually drive straight through. It's a long fourteen hour drive." Jack said.

"Well, there's only fourteen of us now, and we got enough drivers so we could switch off. I don't see no reason why we should sit here, and worry about you out there on the road all alone." Mrs. Twist said.

"This won't be no fun trip." Jack warned them. "It'll be a hard drive, then I got a have the divorce talk with Lureen, and deal with Bobby before I can come back."

"What's the matter with Bobby?" Ennis asked.

"I don't know." Jack said. "Lureen says he's been actin strange, and he's been tryin to call me. Says he needs to talk with me about somethin."

"He probably just remembers, and wants to come home." Ennis said.

Jack's face lit up. "Oh man! I never even thought a that! That must be it." Jack brightened considerably. "That means there will be more a us comin back then goin."

"So when do we leave?" Mrs. Twist asked.

"Right after the funeral tomorrow. The readin of the will is day after tomorrow so there won't be many stops along the way. We'll have to keep movin."

"That won't be a problem." Allen assured him. "We can switch drivers when we stop to gas up, and anyone who's sleepy can rest in the bunks."

"All right then." Jack said. "So how many campers we got between us?"

"Five." Walter said. "I see you got two, and the three of us each brought one. That should be enough; don't you think?"

"It'll be enough to get us fourteen down there. Don't know how many a us will be comin back. If it's just Bobby, then we'll have the room. If more a the boys are comin, we might have to pick us up another truck and camper while we're in Childress." Jack figured out loud. "I got a call Bobby." He said, and took the phone into the other room. Before he got the phone off the hook, it rang.

"Hello?" Jack answered expecting another concerned neighbor.

"Jack? It's Junior. Is Daddy there?"

"Hi Sweetie! Sure he's here. Hang on a minute." Jack said before covering the phone and hollering out, "Ennis! Phone. It's Junior."

"Junior?" Ennis asked as he hurried into the front room to take the call.

Jack smiled and handed him the phone.

"Junior?" Ennis grinned.

"Daddy! I been tryin to call you. I remember!" Junior said breathlessly.

"I'm happy to hear that, Darlin." Ennis said. "You comin home?"

"You bet! I was gonna ask you if we could."

"You don't gotta ask that silly girl. Just get here. Kurt okay with it?" Ennis asked.

"Absolutely! But Daddy, we're not gonna drive. We're gonna fly."

"We're gonna be gone for a couple a days, Darlin; Jack needs to go to Childress to take care a some legal stuff."

"Okay. Not a problem. We need a couple more days to get squared away here before we leave. Any idea when you'll be back?"

"Don't know for sure about that." Ennis worried.

"It won't matter. We'll be flyin into Sheridan. I'll call you when we get in; and if you're not back, we'll just hang out in Sheridan until you get home." Junior said.

"Can't wait to see you. You sure you wanna fly though? That's dangerous." Ennis warned.

"Oh Daddy! I've flown before. We flew up here; I guess we can fly back. Don't you worry about us. You just take care drivin."

"We will Darlin. You take care now, and we'll see you in a few days."

"Bye, Daddy."

Ennis hung up the phone, and it rang again while he still had his hand on it. "Jesus! That thing's spooky!" He handed the phone over to Jack with a grin.

"Hello?" Jack answered.

"Daddy! It's me, Bobby!"

"Oh Son! I was just gettin ready to call you. You okay?"

"I will be if you're comin down here. You are; aren't you?" Bobby asked.

"I am. I'll be there late tomorrow night. Your momma's worried about you. She says you been actin strange." Jack said.

"I am kind a freaked out by what happened." Bobby said. "You do remember; don't you?"

"I do, Son; and I'm glad that you do too. I was hopin that's what this was all about."

"I'm goin home with you; aren't I?" Bobby asked.

"If that's what you want." Jack's heart swelled; so happy that his son wanted to come live with him.

"It is." Bobby assured him. "Kenny's comin too, and a couple of the other guys are tryin to come too."

"Great! I can't hardly wait to see you again. I miss you, and the boys." Jack said.

"I think there will only be four of us comin. The others have another year of school yet and their folks would never let 'em go until they graduated. I talked with them though, and they all want to come up next summer after graduation."

"Well they'll be welcome whenever they come. You be sure and tell 'em that." Jack assured him.

"Is everyone back? How big a group are you now?" Bobby asked.

"We're fourteen." We got Charley, Cody, and Carrie; Jenny and Gloria and Mrs. B.; the Saunders are here, and three of our soldiers just showed up a few minutes ago. Oh, and Junior just called from Anchorage. They'll be flyin in in a couple a days."

"What about Mickey, and his sisters?" Bobby asked as he had grown quite close to Mickey.

"We haven't heard from them, and we may not. They're with their mom, and all of them are under-age. I doubt they'll be comin." Jack explained.

"Darn. Okay. I'll see you soon then; and I'll be all ready to leave here right after the readin."

"You might wanna give your mom a heads up that you'll be leavin with me. She might not be too happy about it, and I'd appreciate it if we could get at least some a the yellin over with before I got there."

"She already knows somethin's up." Bobby said. "I sold my car and bought a pickup. A diesel. Tomorrow I'm gettin a camper installed on the back. That's really gonna freak her out."

"No kiddin? I guess you are ready." Jack grinned at his son's eagerness.

"I am!" Bobby said.

"Okay. I'm gonna let you go now, and see if I can get some sleep."

"All right. See you soon, Dad. Tell everyone I said 'Hi'."

"I will. Night." Jack hung the phone up, eager now for the trip to Childress, and to have his boy back again.

The next morning the funeral for John Twist went off without a hitch. It was short and somber and they were all relieved when it was over. They left right afterwords, and headed south. They stopped in Gillette and picked up some food for the trip along with walkie-talkies for all, and some extra for the others when they arrived. A couple short stops along the way where they changed drivers, and had a bite to eat, and they made it in shortly after three AM. They checked in to Murphy's RV park, and grabbed a few hours sleep.

After breakfast, Jack readied himself to face Lureen. He wasn't sure what time the reading was so he hadn't decided if he'd have his talk with her before or after it was over.

"You sure you don't want me to come with you?" Ennis asked.

"Nah." Jack shook his head, and puffed on his cigarette nervously. "No tellin how she's gonna take it. Actually, I don't think the divorce will be as hard on her as the fact that Bobby will be leavin with me. That's what's really gonna hit her hard. She's always been real close to Bobby."

"Well, he graduated; didn't he? So she's got no say in it." Ennis said.

"Bobby's only seventeen; so she does have a say in it. The point is, with both Bobby and me both gone – she won't have nobody. She'll be all alone." Jack explained.

"I hadn't thought a that." Ennis admitted. "I hope she don't go nutty on you like Alma did. I didn't know a body could scream that loud."

"I'll see you in a while. Don't know how long it's gonna take. It might take all day. We got a do the talk, and the will readin, and getting Bobby away."

"It's all right, Bud. You just take your time, and get it done. We'll all be waitin here for you, and when you're ready we'll head on back home so we can get to work fixin up our house again." Ennis grinned from beneath his hat brim.

Jack returned the grin and said, "You always know exactly what to say to make things better."

"Well, I don't know about that." Ennis said and shuffled his feet.

"I do; and that's what counts." Jack gave Ennis' arm a squeeze. "Just know that I'll get back here soon as I can, and we'll head for home."

"Sounds like a plan." Ennis said, but worried as Jack got in his truck and drove away.

"It's mornin." Lureen said as Jack walked in. "I thought you said you'd be here in the middle of the night?"

"I'm here now. So what time's the readin?" Jack asked as Bobby came barreling down the stairs and hugged him tight.

"Hi Dad! Wanna see my new truck? I'm headed out to get a camper put on. Wanna come with me? The will readin isn't for a couple hours yet."

"Nah, you go ahead and take care a business. I need to talk with your momma for a bit." Jack said, and Bobby whizzed on out the front door.

"Bobby says you're plannin on goin back up to Lightnin Flat after the readin – are you workin on gettin your momma settled in a home up there?" Lureen asked as they took seats at the kitchen table, and she poured them each a cup of coffee.

"No." Jack said, taking a sip of the hot coffee. "She'd never leave the ranch. I've told you that before."

"Well that was before—before your daddy passed. What's she gonna do up there all alone? She can't possibly run a ranch by herself." Lureen asked.

"She won't be alone. I'm going to be there with her." Jack said as he wondered how he could break the news easy.

"I know you will for a while; a few days at least. But what about later on; after you come home?" Lureen asked.

"Lureen, I'll be stayin in Lightnin Flat now." Jack said hoping that she'd take his meaning.

Lureen stared at him. "You don't mean... you're not sayin you're gonna _move_ up there?"

"That's exactly what I'm sayin." Jack took advantage of the opening. "You know I've always wanted to live on a ranch; this is my chance."

"A ranch; yes, but not that ancient place! It should a been condemned years ago." Lureen said, and gave a shudder of distaste.

"It's half mine now, and I aim to make a go of it. I got some people lined up to help me run the place. It's all set." Jack said.

"All set?" Lureen asked, and gave him an icy stare. "I hope you're not expectin _me_ to move up there!"

"No. I know you'd never leave Childress. It's your home. That's the same way I feel about Lightnin Flat. It's my home, Lureen, and I aim to live there." Jack hoped that would be enough of an explanation, but somehow he didn't think it would be.

Lureen studied him for a few minutes while she fiddled with her lighter, turning it over and over again on the table top. "So you're sayin... we're splittin up?"

"I think it's time." Jack said, searching for the right words. "Your heart is here in Texas, and mine is in Wyomin. I can't be happy unless I'm back where I belong. You can understand that; can't you?"

"But, Jack – Texas is your home now. You been livin here near twenty years now." She argued.

"I know, honey; but Texas ain't my home. Wyomin is. And I wanna go home. I wanna take care of my Momma for whatever time she has left. I wanna work that ranch, and see if I can bring it up again. It's been my dream my whole life."

"So you're askin for a divorce then?" Her big brown eyes pinned him.

"I think it's best for both of us." Jack said, uneasy with her stare.

"Does Bobby know about this? Is that what all this is about? He's plannin on movin there too?" She asked.

"Yes, he knows. He and I talked some." Jack said, not sure what all Bobby had told her.

"So that's why he's been actin so strange." She lit a cigarette and blew out an angry stream of smoke. "Now tell me exactly how this is best for both of us? You'll be gone, Bobby will be gone, and I'll be all alone. How is all this best for me?"

"It's best for you because you'll be free a me, and you can go travelin with your friends where ever you want, with who ever you want, any time you want. You'll be free to date again, and you won't have to worry none about Bobby. I'll be lookin after him, and he won't be off in no foreign country goin to some foreign school." Jack tried to draw the best picture he could.

"What about school? He's all set to start at that fancy Swiss school next month. What about that?" She asked.

"He don't wanna go there, Lureen. He told me so." Jack pleaded for her to understand.

"Jack, it's all paid for and everything! Daddy set it up for Bobby's first birthday."

"Call 'em and tell 'em he don't wanna go. He wants to see what ranch life is all about. If he likes it, he might just wanna go into ranchin. Wyomin's got some good schools. If he's serious about it, I'll see he gets into a school up there." Jack promised.

"If he wants to ranch, he can darn well ranch right here! Daddy's ranch isn't but five miles from here and I don't particularly care for that manager we got out there now. That would be the ideal place for him."

"It would be ideal if that's where he wanted to ranch. It isn't. He wants to go to Wyomin with me." Jack argued.

They argued on and on for the next hour and a half when Lureen stood up suddenly and said, "Well I can see you've got your mind made up. I'm tired a arguin with you. I got a get dressed for the readin. You goin with Bobby and me?"

"Might as well." Jack said as he got up, and got himself another cup of coffee.

"You'd better change." Lureen said, eyeing his denim shirt and jeans. "You don't wanna show up at the attorney's office lookin like that."

Jack looked down at his clothes and gave a little huff. His shirt was clean, his jeans were clean. He didn't see why he should change so he didn't. Lureen was no longer in charge of his life. He'd wear what he wanted to wear. He took his coffee into his study, and began going through his things, deciding what to take and what to discard.

Bobby came back, stuck his head in Jack's study and asked, "Is it safe?"

"Yeah, Bobby. Come on in. Did you get your camper?" Jack waved his son in.

"Yep, and it's a real beaut!" Bobby said. "I'll have to show you later. I need to get dressed for the readin." He took off and hurried to his rooms upstairs.

Jack grinned with happiness, thinking how wonderful it was going to be having his son living with him and interested in ranch work.

They entered the lawyer's conference room and took a seat. Lureen in the middle with Bobby and Jack on either side. A few minutes later, Mr. and Mrs. Wilkens, owners of the nursing home where Grandma Joan Marie had been living, came in and took seats. Five minutes later Cordel Hastings, Attorney at Law, entered, file folder in hand.

"It looks like we're all here so let's get started. This won't take long. It's very short and direct. Miss Joan Marie was of sound mind, and she knew exactly what she wanted. I trust you will all be satisfied." He looked around at the faces before him and went on.

"The first bequest is for Mr. and Mrs. Wilkens. She leaves them ten thousand dollars to establish a video library for the residents enjoyment at Wilkens Manor."

Everyone looked at the Wilkens and they gave a stinted little fake grin of gratitude. Obviously disappointed that their bequest has been so meager.

"Next is her great grandson, Bobby Twist. She leaves a short note saying that she knows how much, like herself, Bobby liked cash over credit cards, and she leaves to Bobby all of her cash money, in her apartment, her purse, and her safety deposit box."

Bobby had a big grin on his face and said, "Cool!"

The lawyer turned the page and said, "Next is her only grandchild, Lureen Twist. To Lureen she leaves all of her jewelry, in her apartment, and her safety deposit box." Everyone expected the attorney to continue but he didn't. Surely she left Lureen more than just her jewelry!

"Next and last is Lureen's husband, Jack Twist." The attorney cleared his throat and looked up at the expectant faces in front of him. "To Jack Twist she leaves the entire remainder of her estate, with a short note explaining that she thought it was about time that Jack was as rich as his wife."

Everyone sat in stunned silence.

"That can't be right." Jack broke the silence. "I don't want her estate. It belongs to Lureen."

"There is one further stipulation to her will." Mr. Hastings added. "If any one of the inheritors challenges the will, the entire estate is to be liquidated, and all the money goes to charity."

"But it ain't right." Jack complained. "It rightfully belongs to Lureen. I ain't even kin to her. I'm just married to her grand daughter."

"Do you wish to to lodge a formal challenge?" The attorney asked Jack.

"NO! He doesn't!" Lureen stood up. "I think we're finished here. Do you have the keys to her safety deposit box?" she asked the attorney.

"But Lureen..." Jack protested.

"Shut up, Jack." Lureen lashed out. "I'm not losing all that jewelry just because you cashed in and I didn't. Besides; she had no idea what her jewelry was worth; I don't know how much her estate is worth; but I know jewelry. I'll probably still be richer than you ever will."

Bobby was pulling on his arm, "Come on Dad. Let's go over to her apartment and see how much cash she left me."

"Lureen... You sure you don't want to challenge it?" Jack asked.

"And lose all that jewelry! She's got some pieces that I been eyeing all my life. They're mine now and I'm not gonna risk havin them sold off for some charity." She snatched up the keys the attorney handed her.

"You will each have to sign some paperwork before we're finished here." The attorney said and handed the Wilkens some papers and a pen. Once they signed, he handed them a check, and they left. Bobby reached for the pen next and signed. Lureen did the same.

Jack hesitated, but it seemed no one wanted to argue the matter, and all he really wanted to do was to get back home to Lightning Flat. He signed the paper and was handed a briefcase. "What's this?" He asked.

"A complete run down of your estate." The attorney said. "If you have any questions, I'll be happy to go over everything with you when ever it's convenient for you."

"I won't be here. I'm movin back home to Wyomin." Jack said as he lifted the briefcase. "I'll have to read all this later when I got some time."

"Yes, that's a good idea." The attorney said. "Read it at your leisure, and don't hesitate to give me a call if there are any questions. And may I say sir, congratulations."

That threw Jack a bit, but he didn't want to take the time to question it. Bobby was wanting to leave and Lureen was already out in the hall.

They spent very little time in Grandma Joan Marie's apartment. Jack just stood around while Bobby searched the place, pulling stacks of cash out of all different places, totaling a little over sixty thousand dollars.

"Wow, Dad! Look at all this!" Bobby flashed the cash in front of Jack.

"You be careful with that, Son. That's a lot a money."

Bobby pulled off a handful of bills and stuck them in his wallet. "I'll put the rest of it in my suitcase. Can we leave now?"

"What about the cash in the safety deposit box?" Jack asked. "You wanna go get that?"

"Nah. Mom can send me a check later. I just wanna go."

"Okay. Let's go." Jack said, glad to be back on the move again.

Back at home, Bobby loaded up his few belongings in his camper, while Jack got his cash money out of his safe, and they were gone before Lureen got back.

"Don't you think we should leave your Momma a note or somethin?" Jack asked.

"Nah. She knows where I'm headed, and I'll give her a call in a couple a days; make sure she's okay.

"Okay then, lets head on over to Murphy's RV Park." Jack said as they hurried out the door.

"Why the RV Park?" Bobby asked.

"Cause that's where the family is waiting for us." Jack grinned now, filled with relief that all this uncomfortable business was behind him.

"You go ahead on over to the park, and I'll meet you there shortly. I got a pick up Kenny and see if any of the other guys are ready." Bobby said as he jumped in his truck, and backed out of the driveway.

Jack drove to the RV park eager to get loaded up and out of Childress. He could hardly wait to be on the road again.

Everyone was just sitting down to lunch when Jack drove up.

"I thought Bobby was coming with you?" Mrs. Twist asked disappointed that her grandson wasn't there.

"He'll be here, Momma. He had to go pick up Kenny and see if any of the other boys were ready to come with us." Jack said. "I expect he'll be here shortly."

"So what did your wife's granny leave you?" Marty asked.

"Her poodle?" Walter teased.

"Probably a heating pad and a bottle of Geritol." Allen joked.

"Or maybe her subscription to AARP magazine." Mike laughed.

"I really don't know." Jack answered honestly. "There's a bunch a paperwork I got a read through, but I won't be doin that for some time." And to his Momma he asked, "What's for lunch, I'm hungry!"

Ennis gave him a bit of a smile as Jack squeezed in beside him at the picnic table.

"You get that other business taken care of?" Ennis asked as Jack started loading up his plate.

"Yep. It's in the works." Jack answered before devouring his meal; good and hungry now for the first time in the last couple of days.

By the time lunch was finished, Bobby had joined them with Kenny in tow. He explained that both Victor and Lucas would dive up later, as soon as they could get away. The rest of the guys he was uncertain about.

It was late afternoon before they got started so they only made it as far as Amarillo. They talked and laughed, remembering the last time they'd been there, and how much different it all was now with all the people back.

"One thing for sure," Ennis said. "I'm gonna miss those horses from the Newsome ranch. They were some fine horses, that bunch."

"I'll tell you what, Cowboy." Jack said. "In January every year, Denver has the big stock show and rodeo. We get the ranch fixed up by then, and we can see about gettin us some horses. Some fine horses. Maybe do a little breedin like we always talked about."

"That'd be fine, Jack. But remember, we gotta pay for stuff now. And fine horses cost a lot a money. We'll need to work us up a budget, and see what we can afford. We don't know how much cash money we're gonna have to pay out to get the house fixed up. If we got any left over, maybe we could just find us a reasonably priced stallion locally and a couple a mares. That'd give us a start."

"You can have my cash money, Dad. I haven't spent a dime of it yet." Bobby offered. "And I got my account in Childress too."

"We've got a little money we can put into the place." Marty said.

"Or we will have, once our place sells." Mrs. S. corrected him.

"We don't have a lot," Walter said, "Maybe a couple thousand between us, but you're more than welcome to it."

Jack and Ennis both were too choked up to speak for several moments. "Thank you." Jack finally managed to get out. "All of you. That means more to me than I can say. We'll just take it one day at a time, and see how it all plays out. Gettin the house up and runnin the way it was will be our first priority, and I got enough to take care of that. We'll worry about later on – later on."

That ended the discussion for the evening, and everyone turned in, anxious to be off early in the morning for the trip home.

The three soldiers, Bobby and Kenny, all elected to spend the first night at home in their campers. Early the next morning they started the clean up, once again, of the attic and cellar. By noon they were far enough along to make a trip into Gillette to look for some trailers to haul their supplies and furniture. With a trailer hooked up to each of their five pickups, they headed out to shop.

"Jack, we spent a awful lot a money in that furniture store." Ennis said as they were driving home. "We need to take time sit down and work us up a budget."

"We will, I promise." Jack said. "We didn't get nothin we didn't need."

"I know." Ennis agreed. "But we might a got it cheaper if we'd looked around more."

"We don't need to do that. I wanted everyone to have the furniture they had before. You liked the stuff we got; didn't you?"

"Sure I do, Bud. That ain't the point." Ennis argued. "I know you got some money, but it won't last long if we keep spendin it on costly things."

"All right. I see your point." Jack said. "And I agree with you. We will watch what we spend. Doin all the repairs to the house ourselves will save us a bundle."

"That true, Jack." Ennis said. "And we'll get started on repairs tomorrow."

"This is gonna be great, Cowboy." Jack said with a silly grin. "Just like we always talked about. You and me goin partners on a place."

"I figured that was always just dream talk, Bud." Ennis said remembering their long late-night conversations years ago, shivering in a little tent up in the mountains when talk was easy and dreams had no limitations. "I never figured that dream ranch would end up bein your place in Lightnin Flat."

"Neither did I." Jack agreed. "But we're still partners in this right? You and me, fifty-fifty all the way?"

"There's a lot more involved now than just you and me, Jack." Ennis reminded him.

"I know. And when the ranch shows a profit again, they'll each get a share. What I'm talkin about is the whole thing. You and me, partners. Right?" Jack said again.

"That's what we agreed on twenty years ago, Bud." Ennis said. "Things are a different now though. You got money, and I don't."

"I got a little money; but you got twenty years of experience in ranchin. That's somethin that money can't buy." Jack said. "We'll still be equal in what we're bringin into this partnership. A little different from our original plan, but equal partners just the same. Right?"

Ennis thought about it for a few minutes. It seemed to mean a lot to Jack so he agreed—mostly. "Your momma owns half the ranch, Jack. Don't forget that."

"I ain't forgettin it." Jack said. "When the profits come pourin in, she'll get half—minus half the expenses; and we'll get half—minus the other half the expenses. Our half, we'll use to give the others a share, and what's left is ours – fifty-fifty."

Ennis chuckled at Jack's optimistic idea of profits 'pouring in'. And thinking that any profits from the ranch would be years in the future, and with all the expenses; any profits, shared among so many, would be mighty slim. "Agreed." He said.

"Good!" Jack said, reaching a hand over for a shake. "Shake on it then?"

"Sure." Ennis said. "Why not."

The next few days they worked diligently at restoring the attic and cellar the way they had them, then loaded them up with beds for the soldiers in the attic, and shelves and freezers for food in the basement.

"Are we gonna get the mobile homes moved in here like we did before?" Bobby asked as he and Kenny were still sleeping in the camper.

"I don't know, Son." Jack said as they ate their dinner. "We still haven't had the time to work out a budget, and those things are really expensive."

"We could, maybe build a small extension on the end of the house." Ennis said. "It won't be nothin fancy like those mobile homes were, but it'd give us a good sized dining room, and we might could squeeze a couple a bedrooms in."

"You know how to do that?" Bobby asked. "Cool! Can I help?"

"We'll all be helpin in one way or another." Mrs. Twist said happy now that a good portion of her family was back home.

"Oh boy!" Charlie said. "Can we help too? I know we can't do the hard stuff, but we could carry things, and hand you tools and stuff."

Ennis looked at the boys, bruised faces and all, and was overwhelmed for a moment. "Sure you can help. Anyone can help that wants to, and your help will be greatly appreciated." He was so proud of them.

"And we'll be startin on the cinder-block walls soon too?" Walter asked.

"That's right." Ennis said. "We won't forget that. Gimme a couple days, and I'll draw up a plan for the extension. Walter, why don't you draw somethin up too. We'll compare notes and see what we can come up with."

"Good idea." Walter said.

"I can call around and get quotes on materials." Allen offered.

"Good." Ennis said. "That's somethin we all have to keep in mind. We gotta pay for things now, and we need to shop around before we buy so we can get the best price."

"Can we plan on a bathroom for the attic like before?" Waler asked.

"Sure." Jack said. "If you're gonna be stayin up there, you need your own bathroom. I'd like that second bathroom for upstairs too, so figure in that as well."

"What's the electric bill like on this place, Momma?" Jack asked.

"It's not much, but we never did keep things plugged in for any length a time, 'cept the refrigerator and freezer. We watched maybe a couple hours a TV in the evenings. That's about it." Mrs. Twist said. "Oh, and we have that small space heater in the bedroom, but only about half of it works. I don't think it takes too much electricity."

"It's gonna be a lot higher now with all a us livin here." Ennis warned. "We'll have to be careful about that."

"We can't worry about electricity right now." Jack said. "Whatever it is, we'll handle it." He finished with a yawn. "Okay, I think that's all the plannin for tonight. I'm ready for bed."

"Has anyone heard from Joe?" Walter asked.

"Nah; not a word." Ennis said.

"I hope he's okay." Jack said.

Chapter Two - MONEY

Jack showered first and sat in bed reading the materials from the briefcase the attorney in Childress had given him, while he was waiting on Ennis. By the time Ennis crawled sleepily into bed next to him, he was deeply engrossed in his reading. Ennis fell asleep right away so Jack kept on reading.

"Wake up, Ennis!" Jack shook him by the shoulder. "Wake up! We're rich, I tell you. We're rich!"

"Huh?" Ennis hauled himself up into a sitting position next to Jack. "What're you talkin about?"

"My inheritance! Grandma Joan Marie left me a bundle! So much they can't even count it. And just look at this check!"

Ennis reached over Jack and retrieved his eye-glasses from the night stand. "Holy cow, Jack! Look at all them zeros! That's quite an inheritance all right."

"Ennis, this ain't the inheritance. It's just one month's worth of the profits—after taxes! We're gonna get a check like this every month from now on! We're in the money, Cowboy, Big time!"

"What are you talkin about – 'we'? That's your money; not mine." Ennis yawned and reached for a cigarette.

"You remember when we first talked about a ranch together? We always said we'd share the profits." Jack said.

"Profits from the ranch, Jack. We didn't never say nothin about sharin no inheritances." Ennis argued.

"Same thing." Jack insisted.

"No it's not. That's your money, and I got no part a it." Ennis was just as adamant.

"That's not the way I see it, and besides, this money is the answer to everything. Just think what this means. We can get the ranch fixed up that much quicker." Jack said.

"All the sudden you're in a hurry?" Ennis asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"We need to get the place fixed up in a hurry so it'll be all nice when the county comes to investigate. We can get the addition built on, a new furnace, and we can pay to have the cinder-block work done. Think about it Ennis."

"You pay all that money to get your place fixed up, then why'd you need all a us around for?" Ennis asked.

"Are you still asleep or what?" Jack asked not understanding why Ennis didn't grasp just what a windfall they had just received.

"Nope, I'm full awake." Ennis assured him.

"You don't see how great this money is for us?" Jack asked.

"Jack... that money's for you. Spend it on the ranch if you want, but it's _your_ money; not _our_ money."

"Well shit!" Jack tossed the papers over on the nightstand. "I figured you'd be just as happy as me about gettin all this money."

"I am, Bud. You got yourself a pile a money now. I'm glad for you. You deserve it. Just don't go thinkin that I expect to share it."

Jack was silent for a few minutes, then spoke, "This last year, you worked your ass off fixin this place up for us and the family. Everything was 'ours' then. Our family, our cruddy old run down house, our beat up old ranch. Now that I got money, all that's out the window, and we're back to what's yours is yours and what's mine is mine. I thought this livin together, sharin our lives, raisin our kids, meant that everythin between us was _ours_."

"Jack, we're livin together, our family is mostly together; but this ranch is yours. Yours and your momma's. The only thing that's mine is that little house trailer out there back a the barn."

Jack flung the covers back, and got out of bed. He stalked over to the window and looked out. "So our livin together ain't nothin more than... just a place to live?" He turned back to Ennis. "I thought it was more than that. I thought it meant... like we was married. Like our lives were meant to be lived together as one couple, not as two buddies just sharin a house. I guess I was wrong."

"Jack... I didn't mean to make you mad." Ennis fumbled with an apology. "I guess we just see things different is all."

"We're either in this thing all the way, or not at all." Jack said, but he could tell that Ennis had no idea what he was talkin about.

"What are you sayin, Jack? I got a change the way I think, or I'll have to move out?"

"No! I'm not sayin that at all." Jack came back to the bed, sat down and took both of Ennis' hands in his. "You and me got a be together. We both know that. If we think about things differently, then I guess there's nothin we can do about that."

"I can't help the way I think, Jack." Ennis tried to make Jack understand. "I don't want you mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you, Ennis. I just want to share... everything about my life with you. I want everythin in our lives to be just that – ours. Not 'yours' or 'mine'; ours. Can you understand that?"

"I guess so." Ennis had to admit. "I s'pose the money will come in real handy."

"Sure it will." Jack leaned in and hugged him. "You and me, we never had any money to speak of. Now we do, and we're gonna use it to fix this place up for our families."

"I guess I can live with that." Ennis gave him a little grin. He'd lost the argument, but somehow he felt like he'd won. "Can we go to sleep now?"

"Yes sir!" Jack said and scrambled into bed. "We got a big day ahead of us tomorrow. We got a see about buyin the Miller place next door, and we got a find us a construction company, and I wanna see about gettin a propane tank put in, and..."

"Jack...Jack. Sleep. We can start spendin all that money in the mornin." Ennis pulled Jack close.

"Yes, you're right. Sleep. We need to sleep." But sleep was hard to come by for Jack, and it was nearly dawn before his eyes closed and he finally dozed off.

The next morning after breakfast, Jack pulled the phone into the bathroom, and made his call to the attorney in Childress.

"Mr. Hastings; Jack Twist here, I was wonderin if we could do a little business this morning over the phone if you have some time."

"Certainly, Mr. Twist. What can I do for you? Have you had a chance to read over the reports I supplied on your estate?" The attorney's cordial voice seemed pleased to hear from Jack.

"I have." Jack replied. "But first, I'd really appreciate it if you'd call me Jack. The only one I ever knew called Mr. Twist was my dad, and I'm not that old yet."

Cordel Hastings, attorney at law, gave a chuckle. "Certainly, Mr... ah... Jack. I'd much prefer to be on an informal basis myself. Please do me the honor of calling me by my given name. Cordel."

"Thank you. I appreciate it." Jack said.

"Were there some questions about the estate?" Cordel asked.

"No; not at all. Your reports were very thorough, and written so that a non-attorney could understand them. I wanted to thank you for that."

"Not at all. I know that sometimes lawyers get a little carried away with all the legal terminology and forget that their clients haven't a clue what they're talking about. Sometimes it's done thoughtlessly, and other times, it's done on purpose." Cordel informed him.

"I would, most definitely, appreciate it if you'd stay on as business manager for the estate. I know Grandma Joan Marie trusted you completely, and I trust her judgment." Jack said.

"Thank you, Jack." Cordel said, relieved that he wasn't going to be losing his most lucrative client. "I would be happy to continue looking after your interests as I have Miss Joan Marie's for so many years."

"Wonderful." Jack said. "Now I'd like to ask you to do something for me. It's kind of complicated, but I'll explain."

"I would be most happy to help you with any legal matters I can." Cordel said.

"Great. Here's the deal. I have a partner. Ennis del Mar. Do you have a pen handy? I want you to write that name down."

"That's D-E-N-N-I-S?" Cordel asked spelling the name out.

"No; not Dennis, Ennis. E-N-N-I-S little d el, capital M-ar. Got that?"

"Certainly. Ennis del (small d) Mar (capital M)." Cordel repeated.

"That's correct." Jack said. "Now what I'm going to ask you to do, may be a little... unusual... but it's what I want none the same."

"All right. Just keep in mind that I am an attorney at law, and as such, I can't do anything that might be the least bit illegal."

"Oh, what I'm going to ask you isn't in any way, shape, or form, illegal." Jack assured him, amused that the attorney might think that. "Like I said, Ennis is my partner. And I want to include him in my estate."

"Oh, I see. You want me to draw up a Last Will and Testament for yourself, and you want to leave him something?" Cordel asked.

"Well, I guess I do need to get me a will drawn up now that I got money, but that ain't what I'm talkin about. I want Ennis to get half of everything. Grandma Joan Marie's estate, I mean."

Cordel was dead silent.

"Hello? Cordel? Are you still there?" Jack asked thinking they must have been cut off.

"A... yes, Jack. I'm still here." Cordel came back on the line. "I don't think I heard you quite right. Would you repeat your request?"

"Like I said before, Cordel." Jack knew he'd have to explain, and he hoped he'd find the right words. "I want Ennis to get half of everything."

"But... but..." Cordel sputtered.

"I know, I know." Jack said. "Ennis and me, we go back years and years; since we were kids. All either of us ever talked about was someday bein partners and getting us a ranch together. As I'm sure Lureen told you, my daddy passed a short time ago, and I'm now owner of the family ranch. I don't know if you're familiar with Lightnin Flat or not, but it's way the hell out in the country, and findin help for ranch work that far out is next to impossible. Ennis didn't give it a second thought. He up and quit his job at the Cole ranch outside a Riverton, and came up to Lightnin Flat to help me. The place ain't been run properly for years and it's in a real bad shape. He pitched right in, workin on the house as well as runnin the ranch, and never so much as asked about pay. I'm the one that brought the subject a money up, and promised him half of whatever the ranch brought in. It has always, _always_ been our plan that when we got us a ranch, we'd go in on it fifty-fifty. It was a deal we made years ago."

"Yes, but profits from your ranch, and your inheritance are two entirely separate things. You have no legal obligation to share your inheritance with him." Cordel said.

"I'm not talkin about 'legal obligations' here. It's what I wanna do. This ranch deal... it's not all there is between us. Ennis, he saved my life, he's always been there for me, and now he's fixin to go to court to adopt his brothers three abused children, and he needs to be able to show the court that he has income."

"Well that can be easily enough established without touching your inheritance." Cordel offered.

"I want him to be able to show the court that he has more than a job here; that the ranch is his home, and that he has substantial wealth to be able to care for the children, and their education." Jack felt like it was time to be a little more firm. "Cordel, I'm not a rich boy from a rich family. I never had two nickels to rub together before I married Lureen. Money don't mean nothin to me, but a roof over my head and food in my belly. And you and me both know that even half of Grandma Joan Marie's estate is more money than I'll ever need; more than I'll ever be able to spend."

"I can certainly understand you wanting to take care of your partner, but I strongly advise against such a drastic move. The estate can set up a nice income for him and..."

Jack cut him off. "Cordel, if there's one thing I hate, it's dickerin about money. Before, it was because I never had any to speak of. Now I got it, and I'm already sick to death of arguin over it. It's _my_ money to do whatever I want with it, and I want to share it with my partner, and our families. That ain't illegal. And if you don't want to draw up the paper work makin that happen, I guess I can find me another attorney who will."

"No, no; that won't be necessary." Cordel began backpedaling. "I'm here to advise you as well as serve your legal needs, but the final decision, of course, is yours. If that's the decision you're set on, I can make it happen."

"Thank you, Cordel. You've helped me a great deal. You just get all the paperwork together, send it up here to me and, we'll be done with it." Jack sighed, glad the arguing was finished.

"Anything else?" Cordel asked, quite taken aback by what he'd been asked to do.

"Yes." Jack answered quickly. "These monthly checks that your report says I'll be receivin. I want them to have both names on 'em."

"I'll make a note of that." Cordel said. "Now would you prefer to receive actual checks, or would you prefer a bank to bank transfer each month?"

"That's a good idea. That way if we're out a town or somethin, the check won't be sittin around in our P.O. box." Jack said.

"Do you and Mr. del Mar have your accounts set up yet?" Cordel asked.

"No; not yet. I got a little account at the local Lightnin Flat bank, but I don't think they can handle big money. Don't I need a federal or a state bank for that?"

"That's right." Cordel said. "Your best bet would be to find one in a larger city. Those small town banks aren't insured for large sums."

"All right." Jack said. "We're goin in to Gillette this mornin. We'll get our accounts set up, and call you with the account numbers."

"Good. Since there will be two accounts, I'm assuming you'll want two checks instead of one. Is that correct?" Cordel asked.

"That's correct." Jack said and worried about how Ennis was going to take it. He'd have to deal with that later.

"I'll get the paperwork in order you asked for, and have copies sent off to you." Cordel said then added. "You're a very generous man, Jack. I hope your partner is worthy of it."

"He is, Cordel. That and a hundred times over." Jack assured him. "There's one more thing; I don't know if you handle this sort of thing or not, but I need to find someone. Do you do that sort of thing; or know someone who could?"

"Is this person deliberately trying to avoid being found?" Cordel asked.

"No; I don't think so. He's a friend, and a vet with PTSD. He wanders around a lot. I need to find him and see if he's okay; see if he needs anything." Jack explained.

"Give me his name and I'll see what I can find out for you." Cordel said. "It may entail hiring a private detective. Are you okay with that?"

"Certainly. Whatever it takes to find him." Jack said. "His name is Joseph Anderson. He goes by Joe. He's out a Fort Wayne, Indiana. He graduated medical school there, I forget the name of the school. But right after graduation, he got drafted. He did his internship with the Army, and spent time in Viet Nam. He was injured and spent time in some hospital there in Fort Wayne. That's about all the information I have on him."

"Is he still practicing medicine?" Cordel asked.

"No; I don't think so." Jack said.

"All right." Cordel said. "You've given me enough information to get started. I'll see what I can come up with."

"I thank your for your time, and I'll call you as soon as I get those account numbers." Jack said.

When Jack explained about the inheritance to the family, most everyone had the same reaction that Ennis had.

"If you're gonna pay someone to do all the work... then I guess you won't be needin us around." Walter said.

"Yes, we will!" Jack said. "We'll still have all the inside work to do, as well as the ranch work. The construction company is only gonna build the shell of the addition for us—outside walls, roof, cellar; stuff like that. We still got all the remodelin to do upstairs; all that stuff we did before. We'd just be hirin the really hard outside work to be done, so we can get it done in a hurry. We already did it once, and it took us three years. I don't see no reason why we should have to do it all again." Jack explained.

"Usin a construction company, we can get 'em to replace all the wirin in this old section of the house; as well as all the plumbing. That way we can concentrate on gettin the entire place insulated, painted, and furnished before the weather turns, and most especially, we need to get it in shape before the county comes around to inspect."

"All right. I guess I can understand that." Walter said.

"So where do we start?" Marty asked.

"I need to go into Gillette this mornin to get some business done. We can all go and start haulin in supplies, or I can go alone." Jack said.

"No!" Several voices sounded off.

"I thought we made a pact that nobody goes off alone." Mrs. Twist said, uneasy about letting her son out of her sight.

"That was your idea, Jack." Ennis chided him just a bit.

"Okay by me." Jack grinned. This was what he wanted all along. Everyone participating just like they had done before. He was happy to see they felt the same way too. "When we get into town, we should split up so we can get finished faster, and get back here and get started."

"Do you have a list of what you want each of us to look for?" Walter asked.

"We will before we leave." Jack promised. "Ennis, can you come up with what we'll need to insulate and paint each of these rooms?

"Huh?" Ennis was caught off-guard. "Yeah. I can figure that."

"Good." Jack grinned. "Walter, Allen, Mike, and Marty; I think the four of you should hit Home Depot. Momma, how about you, Mrs. B., the girls, and Bobby you and the boys, hit Walmart and load up on groceries." He turned then to Ennis who was all ready working away at figures in his notebook. "Have I left anythin out?"

"Not that I can think of." Ennis said, not looking up from his figures. "Groceries and supplies ought to do it for this trip."

"Did those ladies from Lincoln County give you any idea when the County folks here would be comin to do their invesigatin?" Mrs. Twist asked.

"No." Ennis answered, this time he did look up. "She just said that Campbell County would be sendin someone out to investigate. She didn't say when."

"Well, I think that we should make sure everyone has a proper bed first thing." Mrs. Twist said.

"You're right." Marty agreed. "You know, Alice and I could easily stay in the camper for a while. At least until we get the addition built on. The kids could have our room."

"He's right, Jack." Alice chimed in. "Let the children have our room. It would look best to any inspector if they had a nice room. That little store room they're in is just way too small for the three of them."

"What about us, Dad?" Bobby asked. "You want Kenny and me to stay in the camper?"

"We don't mind. It's really cool!" Kenny said.

"One a our stops in Gillette will be to see about some travel-trailers." Jack said. "I figured we'd get a couple of 'em. You and Kenny, and any of your friends that show up, could stay in one until we got the addition built on, and the other one, Marty and Mrs. S. could use." He explained. "And we'd have 'em for any trips we take later on. Like maybe to Denver in January."

"Oh boy, oh boy, road trip. Yay!" Carrie began clapping her hands.

"Yeah, Darlin." Ennis said and caressed the child's long brown braids. "We're gonna take us a road trip soon as we get done talkin."

"Looks like this is gonna be an all-day trip." Jack said.

The discussion ended when a vehicle showed up in their driveway. "Oh Lord!" Mrs. Twist said. "Please don't let it be the county people this soon!"

Ennis and Jack were the first to make it out the door, just in time to greet Junior and Kurt, breathless with excitement.

"Daddy! Jack!" Junior hugged her dad while Kurt was greeting everyone with a warm hand shake.

"It's so good to be home!" "Jenny! Grandma!" Junior cried out, and ran to embrace them both.

"You didn't drive that rig from Alaska, did you?" Jack asked admiring the brand new pickup, with camper.

"No way." Kurt said. "We flew into Sheridan yesterday morning. We called, but you weren't here yet so we took a room for the night, and went vehicle shopping. And this little beauty was just sitting there on the lot waiting for us."

"Well come on inside." Ennis said. "Have your had your breakfast yet?"

"Yes, Daddy. We ate before we left Sheridan. We stocked up on groceries too, and decided to just drive on over here and wait for you."

"Junior!" Carrie squealed when she saw her. "We're goin on a road trip!"

"Really?" Junior turned to her dad who nodded confirmation. "Looks like we got here just in time. Where're we headed?" She asked looking around at the old dining room/kitchen.

"Just in to Gillette." Jack said. "We got so much to do that it looks like it might be an all-day thing."

"What can we do to help?" Kurt asked.

"One a the things we've got to do is find a couple travel-trailers for some extra sleepin space while we're under construction here. Maybe you could do that for us? You know what we need. Find something with the greatest sleeping capacity." Jack said.

"What's everyone else gonna be doin?" Junior asked.

"Well we're splittin up once we get into Gillette." Jack explained. "Some of us will be lookin for building supplies, some groceries; and Ennis and I got a hit the bank, the real estate office, and find us a construction company. So if the two a you can find us a couple a good sized travel-trailers, that'd be a big help."

"We can do that." Kurt said.

"How do we pay?" Junior asked.

"Here; take my walkie-talkie. Ennis will be with me so I can use his if I need to." Jack said and handed Kurt his walkie-talkie. "Soon as you find what we need, you give us a call and we'll come over and pay."

"Momma, you got that credit card I give you?" Jack asked.

"I do. It's in my purse." She answered.

"Walter – here, use this card at Home Depot." He pulled another card out of his wallet.

"Jack, you sure we should be usin those credit cards? Won't the bills be goin to Lureen?" Ennis asked.

"Phone calls to each of the credit card companies with a change of address for the billing, is on my list of things I got a do today." Jack said with a smile. "Don't worry. Lureen won't be getting stuck with any of our bills."

"All right everybody." Jack said to the group. "Thirty minutes and we're pulling out."

"We should probably get something together for lunch." Mrs. Twist was telling Mrs. B.

"Don't worry about that, Momma. We'll eat in town." Jack told her. "Just take a pencil and pad along so you can make out a grocery list while Mrs. B. drives."

"So how many of us are back?" Junior asked Jenny.

"With you and Kurt here, that makes eighteen." Jenny answered.

"Just eighteen? Where are the others?" Junior asked.

"Some of the soldiers are with their families, and we don't know if they'll be comin or not, and Bobby's friends – a lot of them are still in school, and couldn't come. The same with Mickey, Jeanie and Molly. They're all under-age and still in school so they won't be comin. At least for now."

"It's going to be strange without them." Junior said.

Once in Gillette, Jack and Ennis headed to the bank.

Ennis was none too happy when he realized that Jack was opening two accounts; one for each of them, and starting them out with equal parts of the check he'd gotten with all those zeros. He gave Jack a scowl when he was handed the paperwork to sign, but he was never one to cause a scene, so he signed the papers and figured he'd discuss it with Jack later when they were alone. "What was that all about?" He asked Jack as they got into the truck and headed for the contractor's.

"There was one thing that we agreed on when I first told you about the money; and that was that it was my money and I could do whatever I wanted to with it." Jack said with determination. "And I want to share it with you."

"But Jack..."

"Listen; this is gonna be a big help to me. We're gonna have a lot a bills comin in while we're workin on gettin the ranch back up the way we want it; this way you can handle some a that for me."

Ennis gave him a look, but said nothing further as they were pulling up into the parking lot in front of the construction company.

"This sounds like an interesting project, but it would take massive planning, coordinating the labor,

equipment, and tools. It would be impossible; however, to meet your time table." Melvin Black of Black Contractors said after hearing Jack's ideas.

"Why not?" Jack asked. "We've got at least six to eight weeks before the weather turns, and we're not asking for a finished product here. All we're askin for is the basics: cellar, framework, stairs, base floors, bathrooms, outside walls, and roof. We can handle all the other inside stuff ourselves."

"It would take a minimum of thirty to sixty days just to come up with a set of plans." Melvin, the contractor said. "And by then we'll be into winter; and as you know, a job this size cannot be undertaken during the winter months."

"All right." Jack said and pulled his chair up a little closer to the desk. "Now we've got that out of the way – what do you say we get down to negotiating."

Ennis frowned, wondering what Jack had in mind. The contractor said he couldn't do it. Wasn't it time to leave?

"What exactly to you have in mind?" Melvin asked. "Perhaps a smaller project, or maybe a spring starting date?"

"Cards on the table time. My partner here is in the middle of adopting his terminally ill brother's three children, and we're expectin an inspection by the county at any time. We need this job done right, and in a hurry. I was told that you were the man to see." Jack said, looking the man straight in the eye. "We're willin to pay a fifty K bonus if you can get this job completed before the first snow fall."

It would be hard to tell who was more shocked – Ennis or the contractor.

"But... but..." Melvin stuttered.

"We're not askin for anythin fancy; just an 'L' shaped addition with; cellar, two floors, and attic. All with ten foot ceilings. Any architect worth his salt ought to be able to knock that out in a couple a hours. Same thing with the plumbin and electrics. We've already got a sketch of what we want. All your people will have to do is make it happen."

"Our firm has other projects scheduled. We couldn't possibly..."

"You couldn't possibly figure out what to do with a fifty K bonus?" Jack grinned. "Any of these other projects offerin you a bonus like that?"

"It would take... two or three teams working at the same time... and there would be no guarantee we could finish in time." Melvin argued.

"I see your point. How about this?" Jack said. "You figure out what the half-way point is in the work, and you make that, you get twenty-five K then."

Melvin stared at Jack for several seconds.

"Of course, if you're not interested," Jack looked at his watch. "We can still make our one o'clock appointment with Wilson and Sons Contractors."

"No, no; that won't be necessary. "Melvin backpedaled. "I was just trying to think which projects I could put off, and where I could come up with extra crews."

"I tell you what," Jack offered. "How about we give you the first ten K of that bonus money the day your men show up for excavation of the cellar?"

"You're a very persuasive negotiator, Mr. Twist."

"Jack- please." Jack said, standing up and reaching across the desk for a shake. "We have a deal then?"

"We do!" Melvin said with a grin. "I do like a challenge."

"Great!" Jack said. "I'll leave all the details to you. You have our sketches and our phone number. One more thing; I know we're way the heck out in the middle of nowhere, but I'll be expectin two things from your men. One, we want to make sure they are all licensed and qualified workers. We don't want someone's drunken unskilled relatives included just to bump up the numbers. And two, we have women and children living there. I'll expect all your men to watch their language. Will either of those factors be a problem for you? Because that would be a deal breaker as far as we're concerned."

"Not at all." Melvin said. "We only use highly qualified men; and we work around women and children all the time and know how to act. My men know it's instant dismissal if they break that rule."

"Good." Jack said.

"I'll be in touch within a week with a formal estimate and what your down payment will be." Melvin said.

"Fine. We'll look forward to working with you." Jack said as he and Ennis left the office and headed out to their truck.

"Jesus, Jack!" Ennis said as they walked. "Where'd you learn to talk like that?"

"Watchin Lureen and her daddy wheel and deal." Jack grinned proudly as he headed the truck towards the Real Estate office. "You're not gonna jump on me for offerin him that bonus?"

"Nope." Ennis said. "It's your money. You can do whatever you want with it. I got a say though, I nearly fell out a my chair when you made that offer."

"I've dealt with contractors before, Cowboy. The one thing they love to do is make a job last as long as they possibly can. That provides steady work for their different teams. You offer 'em a bonus to get 'em to speed up and you save money in the long run."

They were just about to pull up in front of the Real Estate office when their walkie-talkie went off. It was Kurt. "Hey Ennis, I think we just found exactly what we're looking for."

"Good deal!" Ennis answered back. "Where are you?"

"Camper's World," Kurt answered and gave him the directions.

"We'll be there in about five or ten minutes." Ennis said, as Jack turned the truck around and headed in that direction.

"I think these two are exactly what you're lookin for." Kurt said as Ennis and Jack climbed down from their pickup. "Over here." Kurt said and took them to the first one. "This one is almost exactly like the one we had before."

On the right hand side when they entered there was a sofa, and behind it was a queen sized bed. In the middle was the kitchen, storage and bathroom area, and at the back was two sets of bunk beds.

"This is great!" Jack said as they wandered through it.

"Remember now Jack. There ain't none a that free shoppin no more, and this thing is brand new and got a cost a pretty penny." Ennis warned as he looked around at the gleaming fixtures.

"I know that." Jack said as he took a seat on the plush couch. "And I know we're gonna be spendin a whole lot a money in the next couple a months. A whole lot. But once we get set up, we'll be cuttin back to practically nothin. And you got a admit, this thing is beautiful!"

"Oh I don't deny that." Ennis said looking around. "We didn't never have nothin this fancy though."

"It's almost like we had before, only newer." Jack reasoned. "And finding exactly what we had, will probably be impossible.

"Come see the next one." Kurt said and they walked a ways over to another one.

"It looks exactly the same only different colors." Jack said as they entered. The other one was mostly beige and this one is mostly blue."

"It is." Kurt said. "You said not to worry about price so this is what I was thinkin. I told the salesman that we needed something that would sleep as many as possible. And he got to thinkin and took me over and showed me another trailer. It's brand new too, same make, and it seems they had a small fire in the area where the queen-sized bed is; and he's needing another queen-sized bed, fast. The manufacturer says it's going to take sixty to ninety days to get one out here, and the owner is really pushing him to get it fixed. Now, he's also got another camper, a lot smaller, brand new, a different model, but same brand; and it was in an accident before it got delivered to the dealership. Not a bad one; but the insurance company totaled it out, and he's using it for parts. So here's the deal he's offering; we trade him this queen-sized bed that he desperately needs, and we get another two sets of bunk beds to put in it's place from the trailer that was totaled. I took a look at them and they look in perfect shape to me. What do you think?"

"Shoot!" Jack said as he started counting. "That'd make this one capable a sleepin eleven, twelve people!"

"Did you have the guy measure? Are you sure they'd fit?" Ennis asked.

"We measured and the area in the back where the bunks are, is exactly the same size as the area where the queen bed is. It should fit all right." Kurt said.

"Oh Daddy, it's perfect!" Junior said. "Isn't it exactly what you were looking for?"

The salesman joined them then and took them over to take a look at the bunk beds he had to offer in trade. They were perfect. Not a mark on them. "The only problem we got with the deal is we got no one here to do the work. I made a few phone calls and there's no way I can get anyone here before the weekend. That's another three days. Is that a deal breaker for you, or something we can work around?"

Ennis was checking the bunks out to see how they were attached. "It don't look all that difficult." He said. "How about if we do the trade out ourselves?"

"You mean today?" The salesman asked.

"Yeah." Jack said. "You said you were in a hurry to get that bed; and we got the man power here in town to do the job."

"You've done this kind of work before?" The salesman asked.

"We've done a lot of carpentry before. Not in a travel trailer, but in homes." Jack said. Then to Ennis he asked, "You think you can do it?"

"Sure enough." Ennis said. "If I had the tools." He turned to the salesman, "You got any tools around here?"

"Sure. We got a whole shed full." The salesman said. "Why don't we go inside and get the paperwork done first; then we can get started."

"All right." Jack said and then to Ennis, "Why don't you call the guys and see if they're finished over at Home Depot and get them over here."

Ennis gave him a nod and pulled out his walkie-talkie. He didn't really want to go inside and find out how much Jack was spending anyway. It kind of shook him a little bit that Jack was so eager to spend that much money in such a short time.

By the time Jack and the salesman came out, the guys were pulling up into the parking lot, their trailers loaded with building supplies. They found a place in back to park their trucks and Ennis explained what they had in mind. The shed was opened for them to choose whatever tools they needed and they got to work.

Jack and Ennis took off for the Real Estate company. In forty-five minutes they were back; the deed to the Miller ranch in both their names, paid for in full, folded neatly and locked in the glove compartment. They got a call from the women that they were finished at Walmart and Ennis told them where to meet them.

The salesman had offered that it wouldn't be necessary for them to install the queen bed, as he could have his men do it on the weekend when they showed up. So the only job the guys had to finish up was the installation of the bunk beds, once the queen bed had been removed.

Jack made a call to KFC and ordered in a huge lunch for them and invited the salesman to join them. After lunch, while the men got back to work finishing up the installation of the bunk beds, the others walked around looking at campers. Marty and Alice found a Toyota Mini Motor home that they fell in love with. It was a few years old but low mileage on it and they worked a trade for it with their new pickup and camper that they had just purchased. When Kurt and Junior saw it, they went in search and found one for themselves.

Shortly after lunch the installation was finished. They had two vehicles that didn't have trailers attached to them yet, Bobby's and Junior and Kurt's. So the travel trailers were hooked up to the two of them; with Ennis driving one, and Marty driving the other. Half way home, Ennis leading the way, pulled into a rest stop at the side of the road; everyone pulled in behind him.

"What is it?" Jack asked as Ennis got out and walked back towards the highway.

"That property right there." Ennis was saying. "Ain't that the field where we saw that stallion with his mares? The one that got caught up in that barbed wire?"

Jack and the others turned to look. It did seem familiar to most of them. "What about it? The fence ain't down now, so we don't have to worry none about it getting caught again." Jack said.

"Look over there." Ennis said and pointed across the road. "The sign on the fence says Stallions for Sale."

"You think it'd be the same stallion?" Walter asked.

Ennis nodded for Jack to step aside to have a private word with him. "Okay, Jack. You say half a that money is mine?"

"Absolutely!" Jack assured him with a grin.

"I want that stallion!"

"Well sure, Cowboy; but what makes you think it'd be the same one?" Jack asked. "It looks like a pretty big spread to me. And the sign says Stallions—plural. The one you want might not even be for sale."

"I want it, Jack." Ennis said, staring across the field straining to catch a glimpse of the stallion. "Can we at least go see?"

"No harm in askin." Jack said. "But remember, we don't have the stock trailer. How you gonna carry him?"

Ennis gave him a pleading look. "I don't know, Bud. Maybe we could arrange to pick him up later this afternoon after we get all this stuff home."

"Sounds good." Jack said with a broad smile—so happy that he was able to give Ennis something that he really wanted. "You wanna go home first and unload, and come back with the trailer? Or do you want to check it out now?"

"Now, Jack." Ennis said eagerly. "I wanna go now. The entrance is just up ahead."

"Okay." Jack said. "We go now."

They made arrangements for the others to wait for them, while Jack and Ennis took off to see about the horse.

"These are all fine lookin, but I was thinkin more of an older stallion." Ennis said as they looked over the group of six very young stallions. "We come by here some time ago and spotted one I liked. It was a chestnut with four white stockins. You still have that one?"

"Oh, you don't want that one." The rancher said. "He's a mean one. You can't get near him. I'm havin him gelded in the mornin."

"I'd really like to see him." Ennis said.

"As a gelding he won't be of much use to you." Jack said. "'cept for a ridin horse, of course; but you've probably got lots a those."

"True enough." The rancher said. "But I'd feel real guilty if he was to stomp one a you or your men."

"Could we see him? Please?" Jack asked.

"Well s'pose, if you wanna." He said and walked over towards the back pasture. "He's out here. He don't like that front pasture much with all the traffic on the road. He's a real nervous one."

And there he was. Ennis' breath caught in his chest. He climbed up over the fence, despite the ranch owner's protest. Ennis gave out a whistle and the horse raised up his head, ears perked up, and looked in Ennis' direction. Ennis raised his arms a couple times, and the horse came running over, stopping some distance in front of him, nickering.

"You best get your buddy out a there. That horse'll stomp him for sure." The rancher warned Jack.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Jack grinned. "He's got a way with horses like nothin I've ever seen."

Ennis didn't try to get any closer to the horse. It was enough for him that the horse seemed to remember him. He spoke a few soft words to the horse before walking back to the fence, climbing back over it and talking to the rancher. "What would you take for him?"

"Well, I don't know." The rancher scratched at the whiskers on his jaw. "You sure you want him? He could be a real danger to you or anyone who messes with him; not to mention any mares you're thinkin about puttin him with. I know he's a looker all right; but he'd be a hell of a risk. You sure you don't want one of the younger ones? "

"This is the one we want." Jack said, and Ennis gave him a look of gratitude, but said nothing.

"Well, let's go inside then and talk. I'll get my papers out and see what I give for him." The rancher said.

Twenty minutes later they joined the others at the rest stop with the bill of sale for the stallion in Ennis' pocket and a promise to return in a few hours to collect him.

Later at home, after they unloaded, Ennis and Jack hitched the horse trailer up to his pickup. "I sure do appreciate this, Bud." Ennis said as they drove.

"Now maybe you can understand a little bit more about what gettin all that money means." Jack said as he drove. "It means we can do things like this, Cowboy. And I mean for us to go to that stock show in Denver in January and get _anything_ we want! Any horse you take a fancy to; any bull you think is the best, any breed a cow you think we should add to the herd. And _anything _else from now on we might want for the house or the ranch or the family."

Ennis shook his head in agreement; understanding a little bit more.

"And I don't want it to be just stuff that I want; it's got a be stuff that both of us want." Jack was saying. "You understand?"

"I'm gettin there, Jack." Ennis said.

"What if it was you that got all that money?" Jack asked. "What would you do with it?"

"I don't have to worry none about that. I never knew _anybody_ with that kind a money."

"What if you did—and if they give it all to you—wouldn't you want to share it with me and the family?"

"Course I would." Ennis agreed.

"That's exactly what I wanna do." Jack said as he pulled up into the rancher's driveway. "I can't see there's nothin wrong with that."

"There ain't, Jack." Ennis said as Jack maneuvered the pickup over to the back pasture. "I just never had more than a nickel extra in my pocket my whole life. It's gonna take me some time to get used to havin money."

"Well, it ain't a bad thing to have to get used to." Jack gave him one of his dynamite grins. "I'll help you!"

Ennis chuckled as they climbed out. The rancher joined them then as Ennis very carefully loaded up the stallion, thanked the man again, and headed back home.

"Wow! He's a real beauty!" Charlie said as he stood on the fence rail beside Ennis and looked at the stallion prancing around in the pasture. "Will you teach me how to ride him?"

"Nah, Charlie; this horse ain't for ridin. It's for seein to it the mares give us some fine colts to sell." Ennis explained.

"You think he remembers?" Walter asked.

"I do." Ennis said. "I give him a whistle and he come right up to me. He knows me all right."

"He's sure got spirit." Allen said. "He should give us some fine colts all right."

Later, close to dinner time, Ennis came in after checking on the stallion again; he found the three girls; Junior, Jenny, and Gloria huddled together on the couch, their arms around each other, and tears flowing.

"Girls?" Ennis asked, alarmed. "What is it? Has somethin happened?"

Jenny jumped up and threw her arms around Ennis. Gloria stood up and Ennis reached his other arm out to her.

Junior sat wiping her eyes. "Nothin has happened, Daddy." She said. "We were just talkin..."

"We miss our babies!" Jenny cried against his chest.

"Oh. Oh." Ennis said, understanding dawned on him. "Well girls; you still got those three beautiful babies—they just ain't been born yet. They'll come to you when the time is right."

"Do you think so, Daddy?" Gloria asked. "Do you really think so?"

"I do." Ennis hugged his girls close.

"That's what I've been tryin to tell them, Daddy." Junior said. "But it don't make it any easier bein without them."

"We can't do nothin about that right now, girls; except to wait." Ennis said. "I know waitin is hard, but it's not like we got any choice here." Ennis didn't know what to say to help make matters better. "All's we can do for now is wait and let things happen. You'll have your babies back in your arms. You just got a wait and it'll happen."

Kurt came in then and sat next to Junior, putting a protective arm around her. He obviously knew what the girls were crying about.

"Glad you showed up, Kurt." Ennis said with a grin. "I got more daughters than I got arms to hold 'em."

"Daddy, Daddy!" Carrie barreled into the room and grabbed on to his leg. "Will you take me for a ride on the pretty horse?"

"Not on that horse." Charlie said as he joined them. "That horse is not for ridin. It's for makin baby horses with the mares."

"He's right, Darlin." Ennis said, and bent to pick her up as Jenny and Gloria stepped aside to make room for their little sister. "I'll take you for a ride tomorrow, but not on the new horse."

"Does his leg still hurt?" Carrie asked. "I didn't see any blood."

"No, Darlin." Ennis said as he hugged her. "It's all better now." He wasn't sure how much she understood about what had happened; but it was obvious that she remembered.

"Dinner's ready!" The call came from the kitchen and everyone headed on in to eat.

After dinner they began re-arranging things upstairs. The Saunders moved their things out into their motor home, and the bunk bed for Cody and Charlie was moved into the larger room.

Work was begun the next morning on renovations. A good deal of space was taken from the vast upstairs hallway and used to enlarge the three smaller rooms, and to add a tiny second bathroom.

Work began simultaneously on a bathroom for the attic as well, directly over the new bathroom on the second floor. Junior and Kurt, as well as Jenny and Gloria were staying temporarily in one of the travel trailers; Bobby and Kenny were staying in the other.

Carrie was sleeping some of the time in the pull-out in the boys room, and some of the time in the roll-away in Mrs. B.'s room as the two of them had become very close. It was only five days after the first visit to the contractor's office that a series of trucks rolled up into the Twist driveway one morning.

Ennis showed the men around the place while Jack and Mr. Melvin Black talked over business. Trucks pulled in all that day delivering building supplies. One truck carrying an excavator, others carrying a propane tank, a septic tank, while others were loaded with lumber, and cinder-blocks.

Pickups began arriving carrying loads of workmen; everyone fanning out over the place and seeming to know exactly what they were doing.

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise." Jack said as he greeted Melvin with a handshake. "This first crew I brought today is going to get started on the cinder-block work." Melvin said after they looked over the estimates and got down to business. "And if you can just show me where you'd like your propane tank to be set up; we can get the foundation started for that." And so the work began in earnest.

One week into the work, the cellars had been dug and cemented; the framing was beginning when a station wagon pulled up amidst all the commotion. The ladies were busy in the kitchen working when someone knocked at the door.

"Hello," Mrs. Twist said as she opened the door a bit shocked to see two women standing there with clipboards. She had expected it to be the workmen with a question about something.

"Good morning." The younger woman said. "We're from Campbell County Child Welfare. We've come to discuss the placement of the three del Mar children?"

"Oh yes." Mrs. Twist said, opening the screen door for them to come in. "Please, have a seat. I'll get Ennis."

She hurried upstairs to where Ennis and Jack were hammering away. She called to Ennis but he didn't hear her. She went to him and took his arm.

Ennis stopped what he was doing and turned to look at Mrs. Twist. "What is it? Is somethin wrong?"

"It's the ladies from Campbell County. They're downstairs."

Ennis dropped his hammer and took a couple deep breaths. He looked down at his dirty clothes and tried to brush them a bit cleaner. "Jesus!" He said.

"Don't worry." Jack said coming over and dusting some sawdust off Ennis' sleeve. "Just be yourself, look 'em straight in the eye, and answer every question. You'll do just fine. They didn't come here to check out your wardrobe. They just wanna know if you'll love and take care a those kids. That's all they care about."

Ennis came down the stairs and tried not to be nervous. 'All I got a do is answer some questions' he kept telling himself. 'That's little enough to do for my kids.'

"Good mornin," He greeted the ladies with a smile and a handshake.

"Good morning, Mr. del Mar." Both ladies said. "My name is Lydia Perkins and this is Valerie Abernathy." The younger of the two women said. They held out their I.D. cards and Ennis scanned them briefly.

"Please—sit." Ennis said. "Can I get you anythin before we start? Coffee?"

"No thank you." Miss Perkins said. "We just had breakfast a short time ago. May I ask, where the children are?"

At that moment Charlie and Cody both came in the front door, breathless. "Daddy! Look what we found!" Charlie said holding up a rusty old horse shoe.

"Can we keep it?" Cody asked. "We wanna put it up over our bedroom door."

"It's supposed to bring good luck!" Charlie explained, and then looking around he spotted the women and said. "Oh, I'm sorry. You're busy. We'll clean it all up and show it to you later." He nudged Cody and the two of them took off upstairs.

"So that's the boys?" Miss Perkins asked with a smile.

"That's right." Ennis said. "I can get 'em cleaned up a bit and back down here if you need to talk with 'em."

"Not right now." Miss Perkins said. "What about the girl; Caroline?"

"Carrie?" Ennis said. "Everyone calls her Carrie. She's around here somewhere." He took his walkie-talkie from his belt and clicked it on. "Mrs. T.? Where's Carrie?"

"She's in the kitchen with us makin cookies." Mrs. T.'s reply came back.

"She's in the kitchen. You want me to get her?" Ennis asked.

"That's a very clever device." Miss Perkins said, gesturing towards the walkie-talkie.

"The walkie-talkie? We couldn't manage without 'em." Ennis said hooking his walkie-talkie back to his belt. "Our place is pretty big and we'd wear ourselves out lookin for one another if we didn't have these to keep track a each other."

"You want me Daddy?" Carrie came in the living room, a little apron tied neatly around her waist.

"I was just wonderin where your were, Darlin." Ennis said as he caressed the child's flour-spotted cheek. "You helpin with the bakin?"

"I am!" She said as she crawled up into his lap. "And Grandma says I'm a big help! Grandma says I can have one cookie when we get done bakin 'em. You wanna come help?"

"I can't right now, honey. We have guests." Ennis said and motioned towards the ladies.

"Oh." She said and turned a shy glance to the ladies. "You here to help fix up our house the way it used to be?"

"No, sweetheart." Miss Perkins said with an adoring smile at the child. "Why don't you come sit over here by us and talk with us a minute. Would that be okay?"

Carrie looked to Ennis and he gave her a nod. She hopped down and joined them over on the couch.

"That's pretty." Carrie said as she sat next to Miss Perkins and touched the fabric of her dress. "I like flowers."

"So do I, Carrie." Miss Perkins said. "Tell me about yourself. Have you lived here long?"

"Yes, a long, long time." Carrie said, and Miss Perkins looked up at Ennis in question.

"To a kid, days and weeks are a long time; months are a long, long time." He explained.

"Do you like living here?" Miss Abernathy asked.

"Oh yes! I get to help in the kitchen with the grandmas, and Daddy takes me ridin on his horse, and we got a new horse! He had a sore leg but it's better now." She bubbled over with her answers.

"Do you miss your old home? The room you used to sleep in?" Miss Abernathy asked and got a frown from Miss Perkins.

"No Ma'am." Carrie said as she fiddled with her apron string. "I didn't like that place."

"You didn't?" Miss Perkins asked with a smile, noticing that Carrie had tightened up a bit.

"No. It was scary." Carrie said.

"Scary?" Miss Abernathy asked. "How was it scary?"

"Daddy, can I go back to the kitchen now?" She asked.

Ennis looked to Miss Perkins who nodded 'yes'. "Sure you can, Darlin. Now remember, only eat one cookie. You don't wanna spoil your lunch."

Carrie scooted off, back to the kitchen.

"What was she scared about?" Miss Perkins asked.

"Did you read the reports from the ladies in Lincoln County?" Ennis asked.

"I scanned them briefly." Miss Perkins said. "We only received them a few days ago. I haven't had time to go over them thoroughly."

"My brother, K.E., their father, was a drunk. He had some kind a breakdown and really give the kids a hard time." Ennis said and hoped he wouldn't have to go into further details.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. Our records just state that he'd been hospitalized in a long-term facility and his recovery was in serious doubt." Miss Perkins said.

"That's about it. We probably never will know all the kids went through before I found out about it and went and got 'em." Ennis said.

"I can see that this is a very painful subject for you, Mr. del Mar." Miss Perkins said. "I have only a few more questions that I have to ask you about it."

"Go ahead." Ennis' jaws tightened. He didn't like talking about his brother. It brought back too many vivid memories that he'd been trying a lifetime to forget.

"The children—I saw photos of the boys with bruises all over them. Did your brother do that?" Miss Perkins asked.

"He did. His wife died a couple years ago and he ain't been right in the head since. I guess that's when the really heavy drinkin started." Ennis said.

"That explains a lot." Miss Perkins said as she made notes. "Just one more very difficult question and I'd like you to show us where the children sleep."

"Okay. Ask." Ennis steeled himself.

"I'm asking this question because it is necessary to determine if the children are in need of counseling." Miss Perkins explained. "Were the children... did they ever complain about... being sexually abused?"

"NO!" Ennis said, angrily. "My brother was a drunk and a bully; but he'd never do nothin like that." He thought of Gloria then, the first day they'd met her; and forced that memory from his mind. "Not to his own kids, he wouldn't."

"Do you think if they had been, that they'd tell you?" Miss Abernathy asked.

"The little ones probably wouldn't. They wouldn't know what was happenin. But Charley is twelve. He'd tell me. And he ain't said nothin about anythin like that." Ennis assured them.

"Okay. That's a relief for you I'm sure." Miss Perkins seemed pleased with his answers. "Now could you show us where the children sleep."

"Yeah." Ennis said, relieved that the ugly part of the interview was over with. "The boys sleep upstairs, and Carrie sleeps up there with 'em some a the time. And some of the time, she sleeps down here in Mrs. B.'s room." He said and opened the door to the sewing room where they could see the roll-away bed neatly made up across from the day-bed.

"Mrs. B.?" Miss Perkins asked.

"And I wanted to ask you—the child mentioned 'the grandmas'. Could you explain that?" Miss Abernathy asked as they looked around the room.

"We got three... older ladies livin here." Ennis explained. "Mrs. Twist, Mrs. T. we call her, she's half owner a the ranch with my partner, Jack Twist. She's his momma. And there's Mrs. B., Geraldine Beers. She's my first two daughters grandma; and there's Alice Saunders, Mrs. S. The kids call 'em the grandmas."

"I see." Miss Perkins said. "And now, may we see the bedroom where the boys sleep?"

"Right this way." Ennis said and led them up the stairs amidst all the hammering and commotion.

"I see you've got a lot of work going on here." Miss Perkins said as she carefully stepped around lumber, sawdust and tools.

"Yes Ma'am." Ennis said. "We got this big ole hall here, and three small rooms on this end; so we're takin some of the hall space and makin the rooms each a little bigger; and over there, a new bathroom is goin up." He added as he led them down the hall. "Here's the boy's room."

"This is a nice sized room." Miss Perkins said as they went in and looked around.

"Uh huh." Ennis said as they walked around the room.

"And what's going on outside?" Miss Abernathy asked as she looked out the window at the workmen below.

"We got lots a stuff goin on right now." He said. "We're addin on, to the south and east; and we're fixin to cinder-block the whole place in. We also got a new septic system goin in. That's what the diggin over there is all about." He pointed out the window. "And that concrete way back over there is the foundation for the propane tank we're puttin in."

"Well you've certainly given us a great deal to discuss, Mr. del Mar." Miss Perkins said as they headed back down the stairs. "Could we speak with the boys now?"

"Sure enough." Ennis said and spoke into his walkie-talkie. "Charlie, Cody, will you come to the front room please?"

"Yes, Sir." The answer came right back.

"Please have a seat. They'll be here in a minute." Ennis said and the boys came in, cleaned up a bit more than they had been before; their faces and hands washed now, and their blond hair slicked back.

Ennis introduced them to the ladies and explained why they were here. The boys nodded silently and stood next to him. Cody slipped his hand into Ennis' and leaned his head against him.

"I just have a very few questions for you boys." Miss Perkins said, smiling at them. "It'll only take a few minutes; but I'm afraid we need to speak with you privately." She looked over at Ennis.

"Um... okay. Boys take a seat here." Ennis said. "I'll be out front when you're done." He gave the ladies a nod and walked out front.

The boys sat side by side in the chair opposite the couch.

"The two of you look like your uncle." Miss Perkins said. "Do you like living here with him?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Charlie said and Cody shook his head 'yes'.

"I understand that things were pretty difficult where you lived before you came here." She said.

"They were bad." Charlie said.

"Real bad!" Cody added.

"Can you tell me in what way they were bad?" She asked.

Cody hid his face against his brother's arm.

"Our dad is a drunk." Charlie said as if that explained everything.

"And what happened when he got drunk?" Miss Abernathy asked.

Charley leaned back in the chair, his hand clenched into a fist at his mouth. "Do I have to say?"

"We need to know." Miss Perkins said.

"He gets real mean when he's drunk." Charlie said.

"Really mean!" Cody echoed with a quick glance over to the ladies.

"I saw photographs of you boys with a lot of bruises." Miss Perkins said. "Did he do that to you?"

"Uh huh." Charlie said.

"Was there anything in particular that would set him off? Make him really mad?" She asked.

"Carrie." Cody said.

"Carrie?" Miss Perkins asked.

"She cried a lot." Charlie said. "He couldn't stand it when she cried. He'd scream at her to stop and that would make her cry all the more."

"What did he do when she cried? Besides yell at her, I mean." She asked.

"He'd spank her, hard." Charley said, with a disgusted look. "Sometimes he'd shove her out the door and make her stay out on the porch until she hushed."

"Or in the closet!" Cody said, peeping now and then over at the ladies.

"The closet?" Miss Perkins asked as she made her notes.

"Yes, Ma'am." Charley said. He screwed up his face and wiped at his eyes trying not to let the tears show. "Sometimes he made her sit in the closet. If it was rainy or too cold to put her outside."

Miss Perkins dropped her pen. She had been a social worker for six years now and this was the very worst case she had ever been involved with. Her inexperience choked her beyond words so Miss Abernathy took over with the questions.

"What did you boys do when she was put in the closet? Did you tell anyone?"

"I told my teacher at school." Charley said. "But I don't think she believed me."

"And you didn't tell anyone else?" She asked.

"We told the ladies from Lincoln County." Charley said.

"They said Daddy was sick; but he wasn't sick." Cody said. "He was drunk!"

"And who took care of you children while your father worked?" She asked.

"He didn't work. Not after Momma died." Charley said.

"And that was two years ago?" She said consulting her papers.

"That's right." Charley said.

"Did he drink heavily before your momma passed away?" She asked.

"Sometimes." Charley said. "But after she passed, he was drunk all the time."

"And who looked after you children?" She asked.

"Nobody." Charley said. "Cody and me; we took care of Carrie when we wasn't in school. But nobody looked after her when we were gone."

"Nobody?" She asked. "Surely someone must have come in to see to the child while you boys were in school?"

"Nope." Charlie said.

"Do you like living here with your uncle?" Miss Perkins seemed to have recovered.

"Oh yes!" Cody said. "This is the best place ever!"

"He's right." Charley said, full of enthusiasm now. "Soon as I called Uncle Ennis and told him what was happenin, he come for us right off, and brought us here. It's wonderful. We got horses, and cows, and chickens; and we get to help out in the garden, and we went fishin, and we go on camp-outs; and he's gonna teach us how to ride and when we get old enough, he's going to teach us how to shoot so we can go huntin with him."

"It sounds very exciting." Miss Perkins said.

"And does your uncle drink?" Miss Abernathy asked.

"He don't drink whiskey. Nobody here does." Charley said. "We got some beer in the cellar and once in a while he might drink a can; but he don't never get drunk."

"He's got too much work to do, to be layin around drunk all day." Cody said.

"You don't miss your old house; your neighborhood, your friends?" Miss Abernathy asked.

"No." Charley said, and Cody shook his head 'no' as well. "We didn't have no friends after Momma died. Daddy chased 'em all away and they were too afraid to come back."

"What did you do at home when your father got drunk?" Miss Abernathy asked.

"Mostly we tried to stay out a sight, and keep Carrie quiet." Charley answered.

"And what do you do here when your uncle gets drunk; the same thing?" Miss Abernathy asked; drawing another frown from Miss Perkins.

"He don't get drunk." Charley said.

"You mean he doesn't get drunk often?" Miss Abernathy pressed.

"I mean he don't get drunk at all. Ever!" Charley said.

"You've never seen him drunk? Not even just a little bit?" She continued to press.

"No, Ma'am. I'm twelve years old; and I never seen him drunk – not even a little bit drunk – not even one time." Charley said.

"Your uncle showed us your room upstairs." Miss Perkins changed the subject. "That's quite a nice room. Who gets to sleep on the top bunk?" She smiled at them.

"We take turns." Charley said. "Cody and me, we both like the top bunk. So it's best we share."

"That's very nice." Miss Perkins said.

"Uncle Ennis said that later on after all the remodelin is done, he'll see about getting us another set of bunk beds, so we can both sleep on the top any time we want to." Cody offered shyly.

"Do you mind sharing your room with your sister?" Miss Abernathy asked.

"Oh no." Charley answered. "Not at all. She's real little, and sometimes she gets scared. We got a little bed that pulls out from under our bunk bed, and she likes to sleep there sometimes."

"Sometimes she sleeps with Grandma." Cody said.

"You are aware that none of these women are really your grandmother; aren't you?" Miss Abernathy said.

"We know that." Charley said. "Both of our _real_ grandmothers are in Heaven. But Mrs. T. and Mrs. B., and Mrs. S., all said it was okay if we called 'em grandma."

"We didn't have no grandmas at all; now we got three!" Cody said with the first real smile they'd seen on him.

"Okay." Miss Abernathy said, finally convinced she was getting nowhere in that direction. "Tell us what are your duties here?"

"Huh?" Charley asked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what is required of you here?" She said.

"She means what chores do you do to help around here?" Miss Perkins explained.

"Oh." Charley said. "We got no special chores that we have to do. We just help out where ever we can."

"We make up our beds." Cody said.

"That's right." Charles said. "I forgot about that. But that's nothin. Momma always had us doin that before."

"And how do you help? You mean you're doing ranch work?" Miss Abernathy asked.

"Not like the men do. But we help." Charley said. "When they chop wood, we help stack it. And when we go into town and load up on supplies, we help unload and put stuff away. Things like that."

"We got gloves!" Cody said proudly. "Workman gloves!"

"Uncle Ennis says it's best to wear gloves to protect your hands when you're workin." Charley said. "He got us some and we wear 'em mostly when we're carryin wood."

"And do you have any chores that you do inside the house?" Miss Abernathy asked.

"We take off our sheets." Cody said.

"Yeah." Charley said. "Once a week, we bring our sheets and our dirty clothes down to the basement to get washed. And when they're clean, we put the sheets back on our beds."

"And the clothes in the drawers." Cody added.

"That's very nice." Miss Perkins said.

"Any other chores around the house?" Miss Abernathy asked. "Do you wash dishes, mop the floors clean the bathrooms? Anything like that?"

"No, Ma'am." Charley said. "The women do that. But we do have to clean up any messes we make ourselves."

"And do you make a lot of messes?" Miss Abernathy asked.

"No." Charley grinned. "Nobody likes to clean up a mess."

"So what is the food like here? What do you have for breakfast?" Miss Perkins asked.

"We have different stuff." Charley said. "Sometimes it's bacon and eggs; sometimes it's pancakes, sometimes it's Cheerios; and when it's cold, we have oatmeal."

"With cimonim." Cody said.

"Cinnamon." Charley corrected his little brother. "He has a hard time with that word."

"And muffins!" Cody said.

"That's right." Charley said. "Sometimes we have muffins. They're really good."

"And for lunch and dinner?" Miss Abernathy asked.

"Lots a different stuff." Charley said. "The grandmas love to cook and bake and they always fix good tastin stuff."

"What happens if they fix something you don't like? Are you forced to eat it?" Miss Abernathy asked.

"I don't know." Charley said. "They haven't never fixed nothin we don't like."

"So you're pretty easy to please?" Miss Perkins smiled at them.

"Uh huh." Charley said and Cody shook his head in agreement.

"I'll bet you miss your mother's cooking though; don't you?" Miss Abernathy asked.

The boys faces clouded up, as did Miss Perkins.

"Our Momma didn't do much cookin." Charley said. "She was sick a lot. Mostly we ate stuff out a cans."

"What about your Dad?" Miss Abernathy asked. "I'm sure he cooked for you some; didn't he?"

Charley and Cody both stared at her. The thought of their dad cooking was completely foreign to them.

"No." Charley said. "He never cooked nothin but coffee; and me and Cody don't drink coffee."

"Did someone come in and do the cooking for the family then?" Miss Abernathy asked.

"No." Charley said. "I used to fix us some stuff out a cans. I know how to use a microwave. It's real easy."

"We ate sandwiches." Cody said.

"That's right." Charley agreed. "We ate lots a peanut butter sandwiches."

"Don't you eat sandwiches here as well?" Miss Abernathy asked.

"Uh huh." Charley answered. "Sometimes."

"With milk!" Cody added.

"You drink a lot of milk here? Didn't you before, at home?" Miss Abernathy asked.

"No. We mostly drank water back in Sage." Charley said. "Here we get to drink all the milk we want."

"And apple juice!" Cody added.

"That's right. We also drink lots a fruit juice; orange juice in the morning with breakfast, and other juice during the day with a snack if we want it." Charley said.

"So the two of you like living here with your uncle?" Miss Perkins asked.

"Yes!" They both said and shook their heads.

"This is the best place in the whole world!" Charley said.

"What makes it the best place in the whole world, Charley?" She asked.

"Cause everyone here loves us! Nobody curses at us, or gets drunk. There's no screamin and yellin. It's a great place." Charley said.

"And you agree with that?" She asked Cody.

"Carrie don't cry no more." Cody said before shrinking back against his brother.

"Daddy – our first daddy – he was real mean to Carrie." Charley said. "He didn't like her at all. But here, everyone loves her, and she never cries anymore."

"cept at night." Cody said.

"Sometimes she has bad dreams and cries in the night." Charley explained. "Then she comes and gets in bed with me and I look after her till she falls asleep."

Neither Miss Abernathy or Miss Perkins knew what to say to that.

"I think that's about all the questions we have for now." Miss Perkins said.

Cody leaned over and whispered something in Charley's ear; and he shushed him.

"What?" Miss Abernathy asked as they stood and readied themselves to leave. "What did your brother say?"

"He said he thought he smelled cookies bakin." Charley said.

"I'll bet he's right." Miss Perkins said with a smile.

"Can we go now?" Charley asked.

"Certainly." Miss Perkins said. "It was very nice meeting you both."

"Thanks." Charley fumbled a bit with his manners. "It was nice meetin you too."

Ennis was talking with the contractor when the ladies came out the front door. He went to them immediately.

"Is there anythin else you'd like to see?" He asked.

"No; I think we've taken up enough of your time for one day." Miss Perkins said as they walked to their car. "There may be another visit or two, but we'll be in touch first to make sure you're home." She reached out a hand for a shake. "It was nice meeting you, Mr. del Mar."

Ennis opened the car door for her. "It was nice meetin both a you too." Ennis said as he closed the door for her.

They drove away and Ennis breathed a sigh of relief.

Jack joined him then. "So how did it go?" He asked. "They ask any questions you couldn't answer?"

"Nah." Ennis said, lighting a cigarette. "They asked some stuff about K.E. and they wanted to see the kids room. That's about it."

"Well good." Jack said and clapped a hand on Ennis' shoulder. "We got that behind us now."

"Yeah." Ennis gave a thankful sigh. "We do. Time to get back to work."

Chapter 3 - FINDING JOE

They had just finished breakfast and were heading out for work when the phone rang and Mrs. Twist called to Jack that the phone was for him. Ennis was over on the Miller side working on some cross fencing with the guys when Jack drove up in his pickup a short time later.

"Hey, I got good news!" Jack said as he jumped out and joined the men who had stopped working at his approach. "At least I hope it's good news."

"Well it is or it ain't." Ennis grinned. "S'pose you tell us and let us decide."

"I found Joe!" Jack said. "That's the good news. The 'I-don't-know' part; is that he's in a Veterans Hospital in San Antonio."

"What's wrong with him?" Ennis asked.

"Don't know. The attorney couldn't find that out." Jack said. "You know how hospitals are; they won't give out any information over the phone except to confirm that he is a patient there."

"So when do we leave?" Walter asked.

"Soon as we can." Ennis said wiping his hands on his jeans.

"San Antonio?" Everyone asked as they gathered around after Jack called them together.

"Yep." Jack said. "We found Joe. He's in a hospital down there, and we're gonna go get him."

"What's wrong with him?" Everyone wanted to know.

"We don't know. The hospital wouldn't say over the phone." Jack said. "So how soon do you think you can get things ready?"

"We can start right now." Mrs. Twist said. "Everyone, go pack clothes for at least a week."

Ennis and Jack were in their room packing as well. "I wonder what's wrong with him." Ennis said.

"No tellin." Jack said. "Didn't he say one time that he had a problem with drinkin right after he got out a that first hospital when he was wounded?"

"Yeah; but that was a long time ago. I don't think he'd go back to drinkin." Ennis said.

"Maybe it has somethin to do with his injuries then?" Jack suggested.

"I thought he was all healed up from them." Ennis said. "Did he ever say anythin to you about them botherin him?"

"No." Jack said as he zipped his bag up and set it on the floor. "I guess we'll find out when we get there."

It took a full hour for them to pack and get started. "We're startin out late." Ennis said. "How far do you think we can get today?" He asked as they drove.

"Don't know." Jack said as he thumbed back and forth in his road atlas as Ennis drove the first leg of their trip. "Depends on how everyone takes to the drive. I do think we should push as far as we can though. There's a state park with campgrounds in Raton, New Mexico. It'd be great if we could make it that far before we have to stop for the night."

"New Mexico?" Ennis asked. "I thought we were goin to Texas!"

"We'll just hit the corner of New Mexico before we turn East." Jack explained. "Since not all of us are that used to drivin in traffic, I think it's best we stick to the main highway. We get on twenty-five and it'll take us all the way through Colorado and into New Mexico. That's almost the half way point. I don't think we can do much more than that for today."

"All right." Ennis said. "You're the navigator."

"Bobby asked if we could stop in Childress and drop him off." Jack said. "He called a couple of his friends and they're ready to come up, but don't have transportation. This'll give him a chance to visit with Lureen, and we can pick him and his friends up on the way back."

"Okay." Ennis said. "We maybe should a brought another pickup."

"I think we can make it with what we got." Jack said.

It was a hard push but they made it into Sugarite Canyon State Park at dusk where they spent the night. The next morning they dropped Bobby and Kenny off at Lureen's just before lunch and headed on south another twenty-five miles before they stopped to eat.

"How much farther is San Antonio?" Charlie asked.

"About four hundred more miles." Jack said as he studied the map.

"I was thinking," Walter said. "They aren't gonna let us all in the hospital. Why don't I take the

family and show 'em around a little bit. Maybe they'd like to see the Alamo?"

"You been to San Antonio before?" Jack asked.

"I have." Walter said. "I used to have a girl friend from there. We spent a lot of time running around all over town."

"Good," Jack said. "That way if we get lost, maybe you can navigate for us. I been there twice, and I got lost both times."

"Sure thing." Walter said. "I know where there's a great campground too. The Alamo KOA. I stayed there several times."

"I don't s'pose you know where the VA hospital is?" Ennis asked.

"No; I don't. But if you get an address, I'll be able to find it." Walter said.

"That lawyer didn't have an address for the hospital?" Ennis asked.

"No." Jack said. "But I'm sure once we get to San Antonio, we'll be able to find it."

"A phone book ought to have the address." Mrs. Twist offered.

"That's right." Jack said. "Everybody ready to hit the road?"

Everyone agreed.

"Walter, How about when we get to San Antonio, you lead the way to that campground you mentioned." Jack said. "I'd probably get us lost at least a couple a times lookin for it."

"Sure thing." Walter said. "Just let me know when you want me to take the lead. I'll be ready."

It was nearly nine PM when they checked into the Alamo KOA campgrounds, found their spaces, and set up camp. Too late to go to the hospital. It was decided that they would go first thing in the morning. Walter led the way the next morning after finding the address in a phone book at the campgrounds. Once Jack and Ennis pulled up into the hospital parking lot, Walter led the rest of them off on their sight seeing tour.

"I'm sorry sir, but visiting hours in the unit he's in aren't until five pm." The lady at the front desk informed them.

"But we just drove all the way from Wyomin to see him." Jack pleaded. "Can't you please make an exception?"

"I'm sorry sir, unless you have permission from his doctor, that would be impossible."

"Is there a problem here?" A doctor deposited a clipboard on the woman's desk.

"Yes." Jack said frustrated. "We just drove all the way from Wyomin to see our friend, and now we're bein told we have to wait until five o'clock to see him."

"The name of the patient?" The doctor asked.

"Joseph Anderson." Jack said. "She says we need permission from his doctor, but we don't even know who his doctor is. How are we gonna find out who his doctor is if we can't get any information about him?"

"You're not relatives, I take it?" The doctor asked.

"That's right." Jack said. "We're buddies. We've been lookin for him for ages, and just found out he was here a couple days ago. We been on the road to get here ever since."

"I'm Doctor Adams, Joseph Anderson is my patient." The doctor said. "Please come to my office and we'll have a chat and see what we can do about getting you in to see your friend."

Ennis and Jack followed him a short distance down the hall, into his office, and took seats in front of his desk.

"I'm Jack Twist, and this here is Ennis del Mar." Jack introduced them.

"What exactly do you know of your friends condition." The doctor asked.

"Nothin much." Jack answered. "We do know that he was injured during the war. He was in a building that collapsed on him, and he was in the hospital in Fort Wayne for some time after that. He never did go into details about his injuries; does his current condition have something to do with his war injuries?"

"We're not exactly sure." The doctor said. "Physically he's fine. There's nothing wrong with him. He was brought in two weeks ago. He had been drinking, and passed out. It was impossible to revive him for the next four days. He's awake now, but totally uncommunicative."

"What's that mean?" Ennis asked.

"It means he's totally withdrawn from the outside world. He's awake, his eyes are open, but he doesn't talk or move around. He's in a whole little world of his own." The doctor explained.

"Can we see him?" Ennis asked.

"Maybe seein a couple a buddies might bring him back." Jack offered.

"Well at this point; I don't see that it could hurt anything. If you will agree to me accompanying you,

I will approve a visit." The doctor said.

"Absolutely!" Jack said, and grinned at Ennis; both of them happy that they were finally going to get in to see Joe.

He was sitting up, his bed was next to a window with the blinds open; but he saw nothing. He stared straight ahead. The doctor walked over to him first and spoke quietly to him, telling him he had visitors. Joe made no sign that he heard the doctor's words.

Ennis walked up to him first, sat on the side of his bed and started talkin. "Hey Joe; how're you doin? Jack and me, been lookin for you. We come to take you home to Lightning Flat. We need your help

out at the ranch."

Nothing happened. Joe made no response.

"Hey Joe." Jack said as he took a seat on the opposite side of the bed. "We sure miss you. We were hopin you'd show up and got tired a waitin, so we hired someone to find you. Sure glad to see you again Buddy."

"The kids said to tell you they miss you." Ennis said and took hold of Joe's arm. "Charley, Cody, and Carrie; and the girls too. The grannies said to tell you to get cleaned up; it's almost lunch time."

Joe blinked his eyes a few times, but said nothing and made no eye contact.

"Momma's got some elk stew cookin, Joe. And there's fresh baked bread and peach pie." Jack said. "You hungry? You better be cause they made a bunch of it."

Ennis reached over to the bed-side table, poured a bit of water in a cup and held it up to Joe. "Take a drink a this fine well water, Joe."

Joe's lips parted and he took a sip of the water.

"We come on a little road trip down here to Texas to get you." Jack said. "Walter's got the gang and he's takin 'em to see the Alamo while Ennis and I see to you. You should see Carrie, she's jumpin all around happy as a clam to be on another road trip."

One big tear rolled down Joe's cheek as he stared straight ahead.

Ennis pulled a tissue from a box on the table and wiped it away. "Your doctor says there's nothin wrong with you 'cept you need to wake up a little more. Soon as you start talkin we can take you home. You wanna come home with us? Up to Lightning Flat?"

Joe started breathing a little heavier. He was definitely hearing what they were saying.

"Keep talking to him." Doctor Adams whispered to them.

"We been workin on the house, getting it all fixed up again." Jack said. "Your room is ready and waitin for you."

More tears and heavier breathing.

"How about it, Joe." Ennis said. "We sure could use your help around the place."

Joe's mouth opened but no words came out. He blinked his eyes and his head turned towards Ennis.

"E..Ennis?" It was only a whisper, but he was looking at Ennis, his eyes were focused and the three of them heard him. "Are... you... real?" He spoke haltingly but he spoke!

"You better believe I'm real!" Ennis said and gave him a hearty hug. "So is Jack here."

Joe turned his head, "Jack?"

"That's my name!" Jack grinned and hugged him as well.

"You're... real?" Joe asked looking back and forth between Ennis and Jack. "I... didn't... dream you?"

"Come on now, Joe!" Ennis laughed. "If you was dreamin about someone, it sure wouldn't be about me and Jack. It'd be about some sexy movie star."

"Oh I don't know about that." Jack said. "I could be a movie star if I wasn't so busy out at the ranch."

"You a movie star?" Ennis chuckled. "Maybe if they were shootin a horror film."

Joe's face twisted into a little smile. "The kids? They're real too?"

"They sure are." Jack said. "We got everyone stashed over at the Alamo KOA campgrounds. You should see the travel trailers we got. You'll love 'em."

"We're gonna sit right there in the campground until you can come home with us." Ennis said.

Joe's hands came up to his face and he began to weep, big heart wrenching sobs.

"Just keep talking to him." Doctor Adams said.

"Whatever happened, Joe; it don't matter none." Ennis said. "We finally found you. And everyone wants you to come home."

"It was all real?" He took his hands down and asked Ennis.

"Yep. And we're all here just waitin on you." Ennis said. "You feelin a little bit better now?"

"The stars... spinning..." Joe mumbled.

"It happened." Jack said and hoped that the doctor would think Joe was describing passing out and not their visit from the stardust man.

"I... I remember." Joe stuttered. "I wanted to remember."

"We remember everythin too, Joe. And it's all good. We're gettin the ranch all fixed up, but we need help. You about ready to go back to work, or are you enjoyin layin around here too much?" Ennis asked.

"I... I'll help." Joe said and reached to pull the covers back, but got tangled up in his IV tubing.

"You might need to stay here a few days to kind a get back on your feet." Jack said. "Don't worry; we'll wait for you."

"Walter's spent time in San Antonio before and he's offered to show us around." Ennis said. "So we figured to do a little sight-seein while we're waitin on you."

"He says there's a place here called Jim's that sells chili cheese burgers!" Jack said. "I can hardly wait to try 'em."

"We can ask your doctor and see; maybe we can bring you one." Ennis said. "You want one, Joe?"

"I... I wanna go home." Joe managed to get out.

"That's what we've been waitin to hear." Jack said. "We'll talk to the doctor and see when you can leave."

"I... thought it was a dream." Joe said.

"Nope." Ennis said. "You been livin with us up on the ranch in Lightnin Flat for a year now and we want you to come home."

"Everyone... is everyone back?" Joe asked.

"Mostly." Jack said. "We got the kids back, and Ennis is gettin ready to go to court to adopt 'em."

"Good." Joe said, looking over at Ennis. "And K.E.?"

"Out a the picture." Ennis said.

Joe smiled a little, remembering the ranch and everyone there, now that he knew it was real and not some alcohol induced dream. "It wasn't a dream. It all happened." It wasn't a question anymore, but a statement.

A nurse came in then with a bowl of soup to feed him for lunch and was quite surprised to see her patient sitting there talking with visitors. The doctor, who had been standing back by the door out of Joe's sight, spoke quietly to her, took the tray and she left. "I thought you might like to feed him." He handed the bowl to Ennis.

"Sure thing." Ennis said and took the bowl. "It's been a long time since I fed anyone. Since Jenny was little." He said as he spooned some of the broth into Joe's mouth. Some dribbled down Joe's chin and Jack wiped it with a napkin. "Just bear with me, Joe." Ennis said. "I'll get the hang of it."

"What he needs is a chili cheese burger." Jack said with a grin.

"We'll see he gets at least one before we take him home." Ennis said as he continued to feed him.

Joe smiled between bites, looking back and forth between Ennis and Jack. "I didn't think you were real."

"We're real enough, all right." Ennis said as he scraped the bottom of the bowl to get the last drop.

"I think what we need to do now is go talk to your doctor, and see when you can leave." Jack said.

"You're... not gonna leave me?" Joe's weak voice trembled.

"Your doctor will probably want to check you over." Ennis said. "Jack and me, we'll see if we can find us somethin to eat. We haven't had lunch yet, and you know how Jack is about eatin."

"Yeah." Joe grinned.

"I'm a growin boy—I need to eat." Jack grinned.

"You stopped growin twenty years ago, Jack. You just like to eat!" Ennis teased him.

"This is true." Jack said and stood to leave.

"You're comin back for me?" Joe asked.

"We come all the way from Lightnin Flat to get you, Joe." Ennis said, giving Joe's hand a squeeze. "There's no way we'd leave here without you."

Joe gave them a weak grin.

"You talk with the doctor now; and do whatever he says you need to do so we can take you home."

Ennis said.

"I will." Joe said. "You're comin back? You promise?"

"We're just gonna go get somethin to eat, and we'll be back. We'll probably stop and talk with the doctor first, see if we can push him a little to release you early." Ennis said.

"We'll be back, Joe." Jack said. "That's a solid promise!"

They stepped out in the hall with the doctor. "I've never seen anything like it." The doctor said shaking his head. "I've never seen anyone come back that quick."

"Well maybe he wasn't as far gone as you thought." Ennis said.

"That must be it." The doctor said. "These things are so difficult to diagnose accurately."

"So how soon do you think he can leave?" Ennis asked.

"I really don't know." Doctor Adams said. "I want to check him over, see if he'll talk with me; and I'll know more."

"He seems fine to me." Jack said. "And you said he was all right physically."

"True." Doctor Adams said. "He's still very week though. He's had nothing but liquids for the last two weeks, and he hasn't been up out of that bed in all that time."

"We can take care of him." Ennis said. "We can feed him and see that he gets to the bathroom. Whatever he needs."

"Can you get us permission to stay with him; I'm sure we'll be able to get him up movin around." Jack said.

"And he needs somethin more than soup." Ennis said. "He needs some real food. You get some sent in and we'll see that he eats it."

"I only wish some of my other patients had friends who cared enough about them to visit and want to help them." Doctor Adams said. "Let me check him over and talk with him. Meet me back here in, say, about an hour? That'll give you time to get something to eat – if you don't mind cafeteria food – and it'll give me time to assess his condition."

"All right." Jack said. "Sounds like a plan to me."

"Thank you, Doctor." Ennis said and the two of them left in search of the cafeteria.

It took three more days before the doctor agreed that Joe was ready to leave. Ennis and Jack had stayed with him during the days; encouraging him to eat, talking and laughing with him, helping him to the bathroom and back, and spent the nights out at the campgrounds with the family. On the third afternoon's visit, the doctor pronounced him ready to leave. That evening they had their Jim's chili cheese burgers for dinner. The next morning, they headed home.

At first Joe was quite shy around everyone and could often be seen wiping tears from his eyes. But in a matter of a few weeks, he was his old self again. Laughing, joking around, and participating in whatever part of the renovations he felt capable of.

One more visit was made by the ladies from Campbell County Child Welfare; this time meeting and interviewing every member of the household. It took another three weeks before they were notified that a hearing date had been set.

Chapter Four - ADOPTION HEARING

Ennis carried Carrie as Charlie and Cody walked on either side of him. Jenny, Junior and Kurt followed closely behind as they made their way into the courtroom and seated themselves all in the front row.

It was different from any courtroom Ennis had seen before; not that he'd seen that many. Just the one when he and Alma got their divorce; but he had seen some on TV and they never looked like this one.

The seating was the same, seats on either side of a single aisle; but the front was different. Instead of a big built up area where the judge sat alone, there was a large table with five chairs facing the seating area. It was still raised up a little higher than the rest of the courtroom; Ennis supposed that was to intimidate those unfortunate enough to be called before this court.

Soon, people began entering the courtroom through a back entrance. The first one Ennis recognized as, Lydia Perkins, one of the investigators who had come out to the house. She looked out at him and smiled before taking her seat at the table on the far right. Next came a sour looking, gray haired man Ennis didn't know. The name tag on his lapel said Leonard Williams. He sat next to Lydia Perkins.

Next came a grim faced woman, dark hair streaked with gray and pulled back in a tight bun, head up high, walking deliberately as though she were in a parade. She wore a black business suit and carried an arm full of folders. Her name tag said Edith Waterson. She took a seat on the far left. Something about her made Ennis swallow hard.

Next came a man, Ennis guessed to be in his seventies, who waddled back and forth, walking with much difficulty. His name tag read Bill Hayes. He gazed around the courtroom, but Ennis doubted he could see anything past the end of his nose. He took a seat next to Edith Waterson. That left the middle chair. It took another five minutes before the bailiff ordered everyone to stand, and the judge, silver-haired and very dignified in his robes, entered the room and took his place in the middle chair.

Ennis fumbled with his hands in his lap which was empty now as Carrie had moved over to sit on the bench between Junior and Jenny.

The judge took a few minutes to scan the papers on the table in front of him before saying, "I see this is an adoption hearing. Very well, Miss Waterson, we'll hear from you first."

"Thank you, your honor." She said and began from her notes which she clasped tightly in both hands in front of her. "In most cases, it is preferable to place children with a close relative when the parents are unable to carry out their parental responsibilities, and that is what was done in this case by Lincoln County, on a temporary basis." She cleared her throat and turned to the next page of her notes. "However, I'm not convinced that this is the wisest solution in this case."

Ennis gritted his teeth. He _knew_ he wasn't going to like this woman!

"And why is that, Miss Waterson." the Judge asked.

"The living arrangements are most unorthodox, Your Honor. The house is filled with a group of mostly unrelated men. There is no mother figure present, and the location is so remote as to make their future education unlikely to be of any quality if existent at all." She flipped to another page without looking up. "It's true that in Sage, the town of their birth and their family home, there is little possibility of a satisfactory placement for them; but here in Gillette, there are any number of fine foster homes that would offer the children a much preferable living environment."

"So we're talking city living as apposed to country living here?" The judge asked.

"That plus the fact that here in Gillette, not only would they have many more advantages, they could be closely monitored." She turned the page and began again, "It's much more..."

Miss Waterson started to go on but the judge cut her off. "I'd like to hear from Miss Perkins now."

"Thank you, your honor." Miss Perkins said with a smile. "With all due respect to Miss Waterson, I disagree with her assessment completely." She began. "I've been out to the Twist ranch where this family resides, and I can tell you it's a wonderful, happy and wholesome environment."

"What about this … 'group of mostly unrelated men' that Miss Waterson referred to?" The judge asked. "That doesn't sound too wholesome to me."

"That's because you haven't met them, Your Honor. I have." She went on, speaking freely without the need for notes. "Four of these 'men', are teen-aged boys, friends of Mr. del Mar's partner, Jack Twist's son. They came up from Texas to see if they'd like to go into ranching or not."

"That's four. How many others are we talkin about here?" The judge asked.

Miss Waterson started flipping through her papers for the answer, but Miss Perkins knew immediately.

"There are nine, your honor. May I go on?"

"Please do." The judge gave her a nod.

"There are three young men in their mid-twenties, friends of the family, who were in the Army and recently discharged in Cheyenne. The three of them are from farming and ranching backgrounds, and they too have come to work on the ranch to see if it's going to be their permanent vocation or not."

"That's seven." The judge said. "And the other two?"

"There's Marty Saunders, who is living there, along with his wife Alice. They are both retired teachers and are currently awaiting certification to begin home schooling for the children. They are friends of the family also, who came to help out after Jack Twist's father passed away, and left him the ranch to look after. True, the ranch is over a hundred years old, but the renovations they are making on the house are astounding, and more than adequate, with rooms to spare, to care comfortably for the entire group."

"And the last one?" The judge asked.

"Joseph Anderson, your honor. He's a friend of the family; a doctor." That was all she said about him and hoped that the judge would leave it at that.

"There's a doctor living there? Licensed by the state of Wyomin?" The judge asked.

"That's the one I'm most concerned about." Miss Waterson spoke up defiantly.

The judge turned to her and said, "Explain."

"Joseph Anderson is _not_ licensed to practice in the State of Wyomin, or anywhere else that I was able to find." Miss Waterson said with a shake of her papers. "In fact, I could not confirm anything about him at all. He is a complete unknown in this situation, no medical license, no driver's license, no nothing. And as such, I find him a highly suspicious element to be around children."

"May I explain, your honor?" Miss Perkins asked.

"Please do. You have information on this Joseph Anderson?" The judge asked.

"I do." She took a deep breath and started. "Joseph... Joe Anderson was orphaned as a child, grew up in a series of foster homes, worked a series of odd jobs from the age of sixteen to save his money for college. He received a scholarship to Indiana School of Medicine – Fort Wayne, Indiana where he graduated near the top of his class. He was immediately thereafter, drafted by the Army where he finished his residency and served two years in Vietnam."

"So he was an Army doctor." The judge said.

"That's right, your honor."

"When was he discharged by the Army?" The judge asked.

"1973, Your honor." Miss Perkins said.

"Ten years ago; and he's not currently practicing?" The judge asked. "Can you explain that?"

"I can, your honor. The last six months of his service Joe was a patient at Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, Indiana where he was treated for a series of injuries sustained when the

make-shift building they were using for a hospital took a direct hit, killing patients, doctors, and nurses. Joe was the sole survivor, dug out of the rubble two days later."

Ennis squeezed his eyes shut at the painful memory he thought only he and Jack knew about.

"The next several years Joe held a series of different jobs but had trouble holding on to them due to a series of flash-backs caused by PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It's true, the last two years he has been unemployed." She paused for a breath before adding, "I've met Joe, and he is a very nice, polite man."

"A 'very nice polite man' with severe mental issues!" Miss Waterson interjected. "And certainly not someone who should be around children."

"I see." The judge said before looking up to Ennis and asking, "And how is it that this man is living in your home?"

"He's a friend, your honor." Ennis said, and was unable to add more.

"And I take it, you see no danger to the children from this friend?" The judge asked.

"No sir." Ennis answered. "Joe wouldn't hurt a fly. He loves the kids and they love him."

The panel whispered between themselves a few minutes before the judge asked Ennis, "If it came right down to the deciding factor, who would you choose? The children, or your friend?"

"That ain't no choice, Sir." Ennis told him. "My children would always come first; but I couldn't never turn my back on a friend in need."

"And this friend, this Joe; is he getting any psychiatric help from the VA?" The judge asked.

"No, Sir." Ennis answered. "The last doctor he saw in Indiana told him to just get on with his life."

"I see." The judge said then asked, "Mr. Hayes, do you have anything to say?"

"Um..." Mr. Hayes seemed startled to be asked to join in, blinked several times as if trying to remember where he was and what he was supposed to be doing. "I... a... agree with Miss Waterson. Children shouldn't be exposed to mental patients."

"And you, Mr. Williams?" The judge asked. "What's your opinion?"

Ennis' heart began to sink. He was losing his kids! His jaw hurt from gritting his teeth for so long. He couldn't help but think this fourth person was going to be the last nail in the coffin. Apparently Charlie felt the same way as he reached over and took hold of Ennis' hand.

"Thank you, your honor." Leonard Williams looked up for the first time. He'd been staring at the bare table top in front of him the whole time. "What this case is about in a nut-shell is whether or not Ennis del Mar is a fit and capable person to care for these three children – not about the assumed _possible_ mental deficiency of a visitor in his home. We know from the reports that he is more than financially capable of giving the children any sort of college education that they might want; we know his income is sizable and steady, we know he has no criminal record, we know that as soon as he became aware of the family in distress he came for the children, and neither asked for or expected money from the state for their care. And now we find out he has taken in a friend in need. I don't see how this could be anything but a beneficial lesson for the children to experience. I think this act alone says more about a man's character than a bunch of reports or a debate on county living versus city living."

Ennis' mouth dropped open, and he gazed at the man in surprise as Mr. Williams went on.

"As to country living versus city living; I, myself, was a country boy, and I highly recommend country life. So what if they live fifty miles from the nearest school? A lot of children are being home-schooled, and are doing just as well in higher education as those who attend public and private schools."

"But this man, this so-called doctor," Miss Waterson interrupted. "He's most likely an alcoholic and _that_, Mr. Williams, is a danger to the children!"

"Sir? Your Honor, Sir? May I speak?" Charlie released Ennis' hand and stood up.

"Certainly, young man. State your name please." The judge said. "This is a family court and as such we are quite informal here."

"Thank you, Sir. My name is Charles del Mar. Everyone calls me Charlie."

"All right, Charlie. You have something to add to the conversation about Mr. Anderson?"

"I do. He's _not_ an alcoholic!" Charlie was adamant.

"What would a child know about such things?" Miss Waterson scoffed.

"I know about such things, Miss Waterson, because I lived with an alcoholic all my life until I came to live with Dad – Uncle Ennis. I know exactly what an alcoholic is like! I know what one looks like, I know what one talks like and how one smells. I know how they treat their wives and kids and I know how mean they can get. I know they pee the bed, and lie, and break things, and blame everything bad that happens to them on other people, and I know how hard they can hit!" He was trembling and the tears were streaming down his face.

Ennis stood and put an arm around Charlie's shoulders, but had no words for either the panel or Charlie as the tears slipped down his cheeks knowing his own brother had been the cause of such torment to his own family.

"Daaaady!" Carrie began to cry, sensing her brother's distress.

Ennis bent down and took her up in his arms, her little arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

Cody sat statue still, hands up over his face to hide his tears.

"Your Honor, Sir." Charlie began again as no one else seemed ready to speak. "I'm not sayin we had it any worse than other kids who end up in this court room; I'm just sayin that our life was scary, and miserable before Dad, Uncle Ennis, found out about it and came for us. We got a great home now, and we love everyone in it."

Cody managed to stand up now, and wiggled in between Ennis and Charlie, and clung to Ennis' side.

"They are children!" Miss Waterson protested as if that very fact negated their testimony. "And were most likely prompted."

"Your Honor, may I?" Miss Perkins asked.

"Certainly." The judge said turning to Miss Perkins.

"Miss Waterson hasn't even been out to the ranch; how could she know if it's a fit place for children or not?"

"Is this so?" The judge asked, quite surprised by the information. "Aren't you the lead investigator in this case?"

"I'm the supervisor and I make my judgments based on the facts presented to me. It's not necessary for me to personally go out to each and every home. My case load is such that it would be impossible." She sniffed with her nose in the air, full of self-importance.

"And you have been out to the ranch, Miss Perkins?" The judge asked.

"I have, Sir, twice; and it's a lovely place. Full of the smells of bread baking, children laughing, and caring – hard working people. I found it an ideal place, and the children are obviously loved by everyone there."

"And you think living with a mental patient is the ideal place for children?" Miss Waterson interrupted again. "Your honor, perhaps for the boys, a hundred year old ranch might be an option under strict and careful observation, but the girl shouldn't be living out there with all those men. I have a family, right here in Gillette, who are willing to take the girl; a well established couple from a reputable family who would see to the girls proper up-bringing, send her to the finest schools, and give her the life she deserves."

"NO!" Charlie yelled out before Ennis could grab him. "You can't take Carrie! She's ours! Sir – Your Honor, Sir. My brother and me, we've been takin care a Carrie since our mom died, two years ago." He didn't know what else to say except, "She belongs with us."

Carrie, sensing the talk was now about her alone, let out a wail and clung even tighter to Ennis' neck as she bawled.

"What would a bunch of men know about raising a girl?" Miss Waterson asked.

"Sir?" Jenny stood up. "May I answer that?"

"And you are?" the judge asked her.

"My name is Jennifer Francine del Mar. Everyone calls me Jenny." She said.

"And you are related to Ennis del Mar?" The judge asked.

"Yes sir. He's my Dad." She said.

"Very well. And what do you have to tell us?" The judge asked.

"When my sister, Junior, and I were little; it was Daddy who always took care of us. Momma was always too tired. It was Daddy who fed us, bathed us, saw to it we brushed our teeth, and put us to bed. When they got divorced, we both wanted so bad to go live with Daddy, but the judge put me and my sister with Momma. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't the ideal child that Junior was."

"Excuse me just a minute, young lady." The judge stopped her. "Your _sister's_ name is Junior?"

"That's right. Her name is really Alma Junior, because she looked so much like our mother; but everyone has always called her Junior."

"Okay. I guess that explains it." The judge said. "I just never heard a girl being called Junior before. Please go on."

"I was kind a bratty; in fact, very bratty. Momma got remarried and had two more kids, boys; and it seemed like that was all she cared about any more so I guess I acted up. I demanded more of her time, made her life and every one else's miserable until I got my own way. I always had cash money in my pocket, a closet full of fancy clothes, beauty shop appointments whenever I wanted, and pretty much everythin else I could think of. I was miserable. The house was full of resentment, anger, fighting, everyone acting up. I hated it. That's what my life was like." She stopped for a minute to catch her breath.

"In the middle of one of our many screaming matches, I called Daddy. He could hear Momma screamin in the background as I was beggin to go live with him. And, Your Honor, I can tell you, from the bottom of my heart, that that was the happiest day of my life. Not the day, the captain of the football team asked me to the senior prom, not the day I finally cajoled Momma into the $350 prom dress, or even the day I graduated. The happiest day of my life was the day Daddy said to me over the phone that day, 'Get your stuff together, baby girl; I'm comin to get you." She had to stop for a minute and wiped her nose on a tissue.

"It took me a couple of weeks livin with everyone, but I learned real fast that it's not your wardrobe or who you hang out with, or even what other people think of you that matters. It's what you think of yourself that counts. How you are with other people, how you treat them, how they treat you. Those are the things that really matter; that makes your heart swell with happiness. I learned that from Daddy. Being with him. Watching how he treats people, and how much they respect and love him in return. I never learned anything like that from my Momma. I guess that's all I have to say except that if you take Charlie, Cody, and Carrie away from us, you'll not only be breaking Daddy's heart, but all of ours as well." With those her last words, she sat down.

"Of course she would say that," Miss Waterson sniffed, "She wanted to go live with her rich father. She probably gets an allowance bigger than all our paychecks combined."

"No!" Jenny said. "That was before he was rich. Before Jack inherited all that money and gave half to Daddy. It was the same day we drove to Sage and picked up Carrie, Cody and Charlie. He didn't have money then. Just a job out on a hundred year old ranch, and he took us all in. All of us!"

"Is that right?" The judge asked Ennis. "You took in four kids and all you had to your name was just a job out on an old ranch?"

"Yes sir." Ennis answered. "I been in ranchin all my life, workin for other people. Then I got a chance to work for my buddy Jack. He made me full partner in the place so I knew I'd have a good home for the children, and I knew I could make the ranch support us. It was old, true enough, but the ground is good, and all the house needed was some fixin up."

"You didn't hesitate? Not even a moment?" The judge asked.

"No sir." Ennis said firmly. "They're family. My family. I knew I could take proper care of 'em."

"Sir? May I speak?" Kurt raised his hand.

Ennis sat back down, beside himself with over-powering emotions; Carrie still weeping in his arms, Cody clinging to him, and Charlie stoic with a protective arm around Cody.

"And you are? One of the nine men mentioned before?" The judge asked.

"No Sir. My name is Kurt Larson, and I'm Junior's husband."

"I see. And you're a resident of this ranch as well?" The judge asked.

"I am." Kurt confirmed.

"Very well. Go on." The judge said.

"Sir, I'm a rough-neck, a pipeline worker out of Alaska. Two years ago, I met Junior and fell in love with her. Not long after we were married, there was an accident at work, and I received a serious spinal cord injury. I was no longer able to do field work. They gave me a small pension, and set me up doin office work at a fraction of the pay."

"Your spinal cord injury allowed that?" The judge asked.

"It did. With reservations. Most of the time I'm fine. But there are times when everything sort of seizes up on me, and I have to go lie down for a few hours. It made for difficult working conditions – especially with co-workers making me the butt of their jokes. It was a pretty miserable situation. When Ennis invited us to come live at the ranch, I was dubious at first; not knowin if things would be any different there than what I'd already been goin through; but he was Junior's father so I knew that if anything bad ever happened to me – Junior would be taken care of. So we moved in." Kurt stopped for a moment and his serious demeanor changed to a pleasant smile.

"I've got to say, that it was the best decision I ever made – next to marryin Junior, of course. Livin at the ranch, to me at least, is a beautiful and peaceful existence. Don't get me wrong, I work. I work every day. Ennis, as ranch manager, tells us all what needs doin and we do it. And every single day, he looks me square in the eye and asks me how I feel, and if I'm up to whatever job he has for me. If I'm feelin a little weak, I tell him and he finds somethin for me to do that doesn't stress my back. He always manages to find stuff that needs doin that I can handle so I don't feel like I'm just a charity case."

"Very commendable." The judge nodded.

"And another thing," Kurt added. "Junior and I had always talked about having kids, but were afraid to try for a family before, not knowin if I'd be around to help raise 'em or not. We don't have to worry about that anymore. I know now that if the worst was to happen, Junior, and any children we were lucky enough to have, would be taken care of. Ennis is a great dad to all five of his children. I only hope that when my time comes, I'll be half that great!" He paused a moment before adding, "Thank you for your time." and sat back down.

"And you must be Junior?" The judge said as the pretty girl with the long dark hair sitting next to Kurt and taking his hand as he sat down.

"Yes, sir, I'm Junior del Mar, Larson." She stood up. "Everything Kurt and Jenny said is true. Jenny was always a brat." She started out. "Very high maintenance and very hard to get along with. Don't get me wrong, she's my sister and we've always, always loved each other, and have always been close. I wish you could have known her before she moved out to the ranch. To see her now, you wouldn't believe it was the same girl. It's like she's... real now. No fancy clothes, or beauty shop hairdos, no tons of makeup, no false pretenses; she's just her – my sister. And it's wonderful being around her again."

Jenny reached up and squeezed her sister's hand.

"She's my best friend again, and... I... a..." She reached a hand to her face just before her legs gave out and she sank to the floor; astonishing everyone.

Jenny let out a squeal, Kurt quickly knelt by Junior's side and tried to lift her.

Ennis handed Carrie to Charlie and bent down. "Let me lift her, Kurt." He picked Junior up and set her gently on the bench as her eyes fluttered and she came around.

"Bring her some water." The judge ordered his bailiff who scrambled off to get some. "Are you all right young lady?"

"Oh... oh, I'm so sorry, Your Honor. I just got... dizzy and..." She gazed around as Kurt and Ennis both hovered over her.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Junior protested to one and all. "Please, go on with the hearing." She said after taking a sip of the water the bailiff handed her.

"I think we're about finished here." The judge said. "And I must say that this has been one of the easiest decisions I've ever had to make. I see no need to prolong this any further. Mr. del Mar, children – adoption granted." He banged his gavel on the table top as the room erupted with joy.

"That's it?" Cody cried out first. "We're adopted?"

"Yes, son." Ennis could barely speak. "We're adopted."

Everyone cheered and hugged one another as Junior, once again, crumpled. Ennis caught her this time.

"You'd better get that girl to the hospital." The judge said as the other members of the panel were filing out.

"Yes, sir!" Ennis called as he lifted Junior into his arms. "Where is it?"

"About four blocks down you'll see a sign. It'll be a couple blocks to the right after that." The judge answered as he stood to leave. "Good luck to all of you."

"Thank you sir." Ennis said and all the others called out their thanks as well as they hurried out.

"What do you suppose is wrong with her?" Jenny asked. "She didn't seem sick."

"She say anythin was wrong this mornin, Kurt?" Ennis asked as they waited anxiously in the waiting room.

"No! She's been just fine. A little anxious about the hearin, but she didn't seem sick." Kurt answered as worried as the rest of them.

It took an hour before Junior walked out into the waiting room to be with her worried family.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." She told them all as they crowded around her and asked why she wasn't in a hospital bed.

"I don't need to be hospitalized." She said, with a small mysterious grin. "At least not for another eight months or so."

Ennis caught on right away and gave his daughter a gentle but firm hug.

Jenny and Kurt were both bombarding her with questions. "What do you mean? Eight months?" Kurt asked. Then it dawned on him. "Eight months! You mean you're... we're gonna..." He took her in his arms then and the two of them held each other tight.

"Daddy, what are they talkin about? Why is she gonna need the hospital in eight months?" Jenny asked, then noticing the smiles on her dad and sister, she got it. "You mean... we're gonna have a baby?"

"Well, it's your sister and Kurt gonna be doin the havin, but I'd say that's about the gist of it." Ennis confirmed.

"Is it gonna be a boy or a girl baby?" Charlie asked.

"I hope it's a boy." Cody added his two cents.

"We won't know until it gets here." Junior said, "But whichever it is, it's gonna be the most welcome baby there ever was!"

Chapter Five - ALMA STRIKES THE FIRST BLOW

"Yes?" Marty asked as he answered the knock at the front door.

"I'm here to see my daughter, Junior." Alma said as she shrugged past him.. "Will you show me to her room please?"

"Uh... is she expectin you?" Marty asked, not knowin what what to do, and hoping either Ennis or Jack would show up and help him out.

"Of course not!" Alma snapped. "She's terribly ill. I called the hospital in Gillette the moment I heard but they said she'd been discharged." She glared at Marty. "Well, don't just stand there. Show me to her room!"

"She's not in her room." Marty finally managed to speak. "She's in the kitchen."

"Don't bother to show me, I'll find it myself. Just go on back doin whatever it is that you do around here." She pulled her coat off, and handed it to him before turning, and heading in search of the kitchen.

Marty reached for his walkie-talkie to warn Ennis but discovered he'd left it in his room. He dashed after it, but knew it would be too late to give warning.

"Junior! Darlin girl!" Alma squealed and ran to embrace her startled daughter who'd been sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee, and talking with Kurt, Ennis and Jack, while Mrs. Twist was close by paying attention to the exciting conversation.

"I came as soon as I heard." Alma covered her daughter's cheeks with kisses leaving blotchy red lip prints. "What are you doin out a bed?" And to Ennis she snapped, "She's just out a the hospital and you don't have the sense to see to it she stays in bed?"

"Momma, I'm fine." Junior said, not at all pleased to see her mother there.

"I heard you'd taken ill in the courthouse, and they rushed you to the hospital. Don't you worry, Darlin. Momma's here now and she'll take good care of you." Alma said and looked up to see Mrs. Twist standing a short distance away. "You – bring my daughter a cup of tea. Make that two. I'll have one as well." Back to Junior again, "Darlin, you know tea is always best when you're sick."

"Momma! What are you _doin_ here?" Jenny cried as she entered the room.

"Oh Jenny! My baby girl." Alma said and jumped up from where she'd seated herself at the table next to Junior. "I didn't see you standin there." More kisses and hugs. "I've come to take care of your sister. That's what I'm doin here. What kind a mother would I be if I didn't look after my girls?"

Everyone in the room stared at her in disbelief.

"Alma, this ain't none a your business." Ennis said, shocked at his ex-wife's sudden appearance.

Ignoring Ennis completely, she sat back down next to Junior, and took her hand. "Junior, Darlin, what did the doctor say and why didn't you call me? I'd a come yesterday. Whatever it is, I'm here now and I'll look after you. You know you can count on your Momma in times of need."

"Momma, there's nothin wrong with me. I just fainted." Junior insisted not wanting to share her wonderful secret just yet.

"Well people don't just faint for nothin." Alma argued.

"How did you find out, anyway?" Junior asked the question they'd all been wondering.

"Oh I have my ways, Sweetie." She smiled mysteriously. "In fact, I have a very dear friend who works in the courthouse. She gave me a call and filled me in on all the details."

Then to Ennis she said, "I hear you adopted K.E. kids. Now why on earth did you want to go and do that for?"

"Because I wanted 'em." Ennis said, wishing he knew how to get her out of there without causing a scene that might disturb Junior.

"If you wanted more kids, why don't you just have your own? You're certainly young enough, and so am I." Alma dropped that little tidbit, and again the entire room was staring her.

Mrs. Twist sat the tea down in front of Alma, nearly spilling it at hearing the unexpected proposition.

"Watch it!" Alma scolded. "You can be fired, you know!" And to Ennis she said, "Honestly, Ennis, couldn't you find better help than that?"

Ennis grabbed her by the arm, jerked her up out of the chair and escorted her to the front door. He saw her coat hanging over the banister, tossed it to her, opened the door and pushed her outside with her protesting every step of the way.

"Ennis! You stop that, You're hurtin me. Let go a me. You can't treat me this way. I got every right to be here, my daughters are here, and even my mother is here for God's sake."

"And none a us want you here." Ennis growled at her. "Get in your car and go back to your grocery store husband."

"He ain't my husband anymore; I divorced him." Alma said as she shouldered into her coat and took her time smoothing it out, and buttoning it up.

"Then go back to your boys. You ain't needed or wanted here." Ennis glared at her angrily.

"The boys are gone too. They left with their dad. The three of 'em's back in Ohio somewhere. So you see, I'm entirely free now, Ennis. I can see to the girls, and I can see to you too if you'll let me." She gave him what she thought was a seductive smile.

Ennis had a hard time keeping from gagging. He reached out and opened her car door. "Git!" Was the only thing he could think of to say.

"I will not! I came here to look after Junior and that's what I'm going to do." She made a move to go back inside, but Ennis cut her off, took her arm again and shoved her into the car, slamming the door.

"You git now; and don't come back here. Not ever!" Ennis said as he headed back inside, but didn't close the door until she drove off.

"Oh my God, Daddy!" Junior met him just inside the door. "What was that all about? Did she just... proposition you?"

"She's nuttier than a fruitcake, Darlin. Don't you pay her no mind and don't go gettin upset. I let her know real good that she's not welcome around here. She won't be comin back to bother nobody." Ennis gave her a little hug. "Nothin for anyone to be worryin about."

"What in the world was she thinkin, comin here like that?" Jack asked later that night when they were alone in their room. "Did she actually think that she could just move in here to look after Junior?"

"Alma was thinkin what she's always thinkin about, and that's money." Ennis answered. "If her friend at the courthouse told her all about the case, then she knows I come into all that money. That's what she's after. You mark my words on this one, Jack. Sooner or later, she'll be askin for a share."

"Why that's nonsense." Jack scoffed. "She's got no right to that money."

"You know it, and I know it; but makin her know it is somethin that ain't never gonna happen. She's a firm believer in what's hers is hers, and what's somebody else's, is half hers. That's just the way she thinks." He mashed his cigarette out in the ash tray on the night stand and added. "We best get some sleep now."

"Okay." Jack said and snuggled down under the covers next to Ennis. "Why do I get the feelin that this mess with Alma ain't over?"

"Cause it ain't. Alma smells money, and she ain't one to pass up a chance to grab herself some. You best be prepared. She's gonna cause trouble."

"Daddy, I got it all figured out." Junior said at breakfast the next morning. "I know why she came here yesterday.

"Why, she came to see to you, Junior." Mrs. Twist said sweetly as she refilled everyone's coffee cup after the children had left the table.

"No, Mrs. T. She came for money." Junior said.

"Money? From you?" Mrs. T. Asked. "Now why would she think that you had any money to spare."

"She said she has a friend who works at the courthouse so I guess that must be true, and if she told her all about the adoption, then she probably told her about the money Jack gave Daddy as well." Junior explained.

"She's probably right about that." Mrs. B. said. "If Alma smells money, she zeros in on it and won't stop until she gets what she considers her fair share."

"She's got no fair share in Daddy's money!" Jenny gasped, nearly choking on her coffee.

"That won't matter to Momma." Junior said. "She thinks that everythin Daddy has, or ever will have, is rightfully half hers."

"But they're divorced!" Jenny sputtered.

"Apparently Momma doesn't see it that way, offerin to have more babies for him. She ought to be ashamed of herself." Junior said, appalled by her mother's behavior.

"Your Momma's never been ashamed of nothin she's ever done." Mrs. B. said sadly; ashamed of her own daughter's behavior.

"Well what about Monroe? I wonder what he'd think of Momma comin over here and sayin stuff like that?" Jenny asked.

"Apparently, your Momma and Monroe are divorced. That's what she said." Ennis said.

"Divorced?" Both Junior and Jenny asked at the same time.

"Uh huh." Ennis said. "That's what she said. She said he took the boys and moved back to Ohio."

"She never said a word about a divorce to me!" Junior said.

"Me neither." Jenny added. "I thought he was off visitin his relatives in Ohio. That's what Momma said."

"Well... that's your Momma's way, I guess." Ennis said trying not to betray how worried he really was about this latest development. "Nothin for us to worry about."

Chapter Six – ENNIS TAKES A FALL

A week later they were about to head home from the Farmer's market in Gillette, their trailers loaded down with produce, they were walking through the parking lot towards their trucks with the last of their purchases. The entire family there, they streamed along, Jack and Ennis a the tail end. Ennis had Carrie on his shoulders and they were discussing what they were going to have for lunch, burgers or pizza. Carrie dropped the small toy she'd gotten, so Ennis handed her to Jack while he back tracked a few steps to retrieve it. As he bent down to pick it up, a car opposite him zoomed out of it's parking spot right into him, slamming him up against another parked vehicle. He crumpled to the ground unconscious.

"ENNIS!" Jack screamed.

"DADDY! DADDY!" Carrie shrieked.

The rest of the family ran back when they heard the screams, packages of strawberries and apples cascading across the ground.

Jack was holding Ennis' across his lap trying to wake him.

"Wha... happened?" Ennis managed to get out before total blackness claimed him.

The entire parking lot erupted. Some of the family were pounding on the car that hit him, and managed to drag the drunken teen-aged driver out. Someone screamed to call an ambulance. Everyone gathered around Ennis, family and by-standers alike. Everyone was crying. When Jenny took his hand, she found Carrie's small toy clasped firmly in his grip.

"JOE! JOE!" Jack called. "Do something! His head's bleeding; bad!"

Joe knelt beside them, scooting a protesting Jenny out of the way. He rolled Ennis just enough to see the wound where Ennis' head met with the parked truck. A large gash was bleeding profusely. He sprang immediately into action. Joe ripped of his jacket, sweater, and white undershirt. He took the undershirt and pressed it to the head wound, holding it tightly while he tried to examine Ennis for other injuries.

There were abrasions on one side of his face that were bleeding too, caused when his face hit the pavement. Joe struggled to take Ennis' pulse and got Jack to hold the make-shift bandage in place.

"He needs to be in a hospital right now!" Joe announced amidst the screaming and yelling going on with the drunken teen who hit Ennis.

The local police got there just in time as Bobby Twist was screaming at the teen, "If he dies—you die! You got that?" Two police men had to restrain him as the drunken teen, slurring his words and crying like a baby was sayin, "He hit me! He assaulted me! You gotta arrest him!"

Another policeman was kneeling down checking on Ennis.

"He needs to get to a hospital!" Joe was saying.

In moments the ambulance arrived, siren wailing adding to the melee.

A frantic rush to the hospital, a two hour wait in the smoke filled waiting room, before Joe came out accompanied by the doctor on call.

Everyone froze in their tracks as they had been pacing the floor. There was not a dry eye among them, as they stared silently waiting for word.

"First of all," Joe started out, "He's going to be okay."

Everyone seemed to find their voices at the same moment then, demanding further details.

"This is Doctor Fillmore, I'll let him give you the details." Joe said.

"As Doctor Anderson said, Mr. del Mar will be all right. But he does have some injuries that are extremely painful, and he will be laid up for quite some time."

"What? What injuries?" Jack demanded. "I thought he just hit his head. Is that what you're talking about?"

"That's what we thought at first, and the head wound was treated immediately, but after further examination it was discovered that his left arm is broken, as well as his left ankle."

"Oh my God!" Some one wailed. "Oh dear Lord," some one else cried.

"He's broken?" Carrie's little voice asked as Charlie picked her up.

"His arm and his ankle are both broken, but he'll get better." Charlie promised her.

"And the head wound?" Jack asked. "How serious is that?"

"He has a concussion. He's going to be dizzy and disoriented for maybe a day or so, and he'll have some pretty intense head-aches, but he's stable. We got the bleeding stopped and gave him a little something for the pain."

"Can we see him?" Jack asked.

"He's asleep, and it's probably best that he is for the next several hours. He's being taken to a room right now. As soon as he's settled, I'll have a nurse come get you. Just two at a time now, and don't try to wake him. It's best he gets a good sleep so his body can start its healing process." Doctor Fillmore said before leaving them.

Just then a furor filled the waiting room as the drunken teen was brought in, with a tiny cut on his cheek. He saw the family and started yelling, "He hit me! That one there." He pointed to Bobby.

The police officers escorting him, pulled the belligerent youth aside, and talked to the attending nurse about getting someone to look at his cut. Then they came over to the family and spoke to them.

"You hit him?" One of the officers asked, taking his note book out of his pocket, ready to take notes.

"No, Sir; I didn't; but I sure wanted to!" Bobby said.

"Walter stepped up. "Officer, Allen here and I were the ones who pulled the boy out of his car, and he already had that cut on his face. Bobby here, was yellin at him, we all were, but nobody hit him."

The officer took down everyone's name and statement while the drunken boy yelled threats across the room at them. "You just wait! My parents are gonna sue the pants off you!" And as the nurse looked at the boy he was asking, "Is this gonna scar? Am I gonna have a scar?" And back to the family again, "I'm gonna sue you and take every penny you got!" Back to the nurse again, "Am I gonna need stitches? I'm gonna sue! I'll make 'em pay for puttin their hands on me. Nobody touches a Winslow and gets away with it." Back to the family again he yelled, "I'm gonna sue your asses! You hear me!"

"The entire hospital can hear you; you'll have to quiet down." The nurse was saying, but the boy pushed her away, "Ooooww. That hurt! Get away from me bitch!"

A nurse showed up then to take them to the waiting room on another floor closer to Ennis' room, and spared them listening to the rest of the drunken teens tirade.

"Just two at a time now, and only a few minutes. He needs his rest." She smiled gently at them.

Jack went in first with his Momma; stunned by the sight of a pale Ennis lying there, head swathed in bandages, cheek bandaged, both eyes closed and beginning to blacken – left arm and leg in a bright white cast. Jack took Ennis' hand and pressed his cheek against Ennis' unbandaged cheek, as Ennis lay there, silent as a statue, with tubes running in and out of him. A machine sat beside his bed, green numbers blinking.

Jack's shoulders shook as he wept against Ennis' shoulder. Mrs. Twist stood behind her son, one hand on his shoulder steadying him. "He's gonna be all right, son. We have to concentrate on that. He'll be in a world of hurt for a while, but we'll take good care of him."

Jack finally got control of himself, wiped his eyes on his jacket sleeve, and gave his Mom a hug. He was beyond words, but took his Mom's arm and led her from the room allowing Jenny and Junior in to see him next.

After everyone had filed in two by two and had their short visit with him, Jack was finally able to talk.

"Marty, can you see to it the family gets home?"

"You're stayin?" Marty asked.

"I'm not leavin this hospital until he comes home with me." Jack vowed. And to Joe he asked, "Are they gonna let you look after him?"

"Not officially. I'm not licensed to practice. They are letting me hang around though, and I'll keep an eye on things if you want to go on home and get some rest."

"No; I'm not leavin." Jack said. "I'm stayin."

"I'm stayin too, Jenny and Gloria both said,

"Us too!" Charlie added. "We're stayin."

"No, now; there's no sense in that." Joe said. "He's sleeping and he won't be wakin up for several hours. The rest of you need to go on home. See to the fruit and vegetables we just bought, get a good nights sleep, and come back in the mornin. He'll be awake by then and you'll each be able to have a nice visit with him."

"You're _sure_ he's gonna be all right?" Junior asked as Kurt held her.

"I'm positive." Joe assured her. "He's messed up all right, but none of his injuries are all that serious."

"What about the head wound." Jenny asked. "He bled so much!"

"Head wounds always bleed a lot and actually it's a good thing that they do. If it wasn't an open wound, all that would be goin on inside his scull causing swellin and all kinds of problems. The doctor did a good job cleanin the wound, and he put some stitches in, and the bleedin stopped." Joe explained. "Like I said, he's messed up, and he's gonna be hurtin when he wakes up, but he'll be okay."

"When will we be able to take him home?" Jack asked.

"That will depend on what the doctor decides in the morning. He might need to spend a few days here. Just so they can keep an eye on him." Joe said. "But we'll stay with him, and we'll be here for him when he wakes up. I promise you all. He's going to be fine. It's just going to take some time."

Reluctantly, they left, promising to return first thing in the morning.

"Jack, if you wanna take a room over at the motel..." That was as much as Joe got out before Jack cut him off.

"NO! I'm here to stay. I'm not leavin until he comes home with me." Jack insisted.

"Okay. Okay" Joe put a hand on Jack's shoulder. "Come on then." He led the way back to Ennis' room where they seated themselves and began their long nights vigil.

The medicine he was given gave Ennis a good night's sleep, but he awoke in the morning confused

and full of questions. Where was he, and why had he been brought to a hospital when it was just a bump on his head? He hadn't even tried to move yet, and was at first unaware of the casts. Jack and Joe both tried to explain to him what had happened, but he didn't seem to grasp it.

"Jack... can we go home now?" He asked. "I got a head ache and..." He tried to move and discovered his left arm tangled in a sling around his neck, a needle in his right arm with a tube leading to a bottle hanging overhead. "What the..." He stared at the contraption and then saw the cast. "Jack? What's happenin?"

"Now just keep calm, Cowboy. You got knocked down, but you're gonna be just fine." Jack gave him a tired smile that he hoped was encouraging. "Joe's here, and he's been lookin after you along with the doctor. They both say you're okay. Just busted up a little bit."

Ennis squirmed as Jack pressed the button on his bed raising him up a bit. "Joe? How bad is it?"

"You're gonna be hurtin like hell for a spell, but it'll pass." Joe assured him.

"Jesus!" Ennis gasped. "I hurt all over. What all's busted?"

"Left arm and left ankle, and you got a cut on the back of your head, some other scrapes and bruises. Painful, but nothin that time won't heal." Joe told him with a comforting pat on his unbroken leg.

"Jack, can you get me out a here? I wanna go home." Ennis turned to Jack.

"We got a wait for the Doctor, and see what he has to say." Jack said as he scooted his chair closer to the bed. "You got a concussion, and they might wanna keep you here a day or two to keep an eye on you."

"I wanna go home!" Ennis insisted but the effort caused pain to shoot daggers through his head. He raised his hand to massage his forehead. "Jack..."

"Joe, see if you can find that doctor." Jack said and when they were alone, he bent over and gave Ennis a gentle kiss on the lips. "Just relax, Cowboy. I know you're hurtin, and we're gonna get you somethin for the pain. Try and relax. It'll ease the pain, I promise you."

"Jack... what the hell happened?"

"We were comin out a the Farmers Market in the parkin lot. You were gettin that little toy that Carrie dropped, and some jackass of a drunk kid, backed his car out and knocked you down. You don't remember that?" Jack asked as he held Ennis' hand.

"I... a...No, Bud. I remember shoppin and that's about it." Ennis said. "Jesus, I'm dizzy."

"That's from the concussion." Doctor Fillmore said as he entered the room with Joe. "Good mornin, Mr. del Mar. I'm Doctor Fillmore. How are you feelin this mornin?"

"Like hell. Everythin I got hurts, my head feels like it's about to explode, and I'm dizzy." Ennis said, blinking his eyes and trying to focus on the doctor.

"The nurse will bring in something for the pain in just a few minutes." The doctor said as he took Ennis' pulse. "You think you might be able to eat a little breakfast? You'll feel better if you do."

"I ain't hungry. I just wanna go home. Can you get these tubes out a me so I can leave?" Ennis asked.

"I'm sorry, but that won't be possible right now." Doctor Fillmore said. "We need to monitor your condition for several more hours yet. If the dizziness and blurred vision clears up, you may be able to leave this evening. If not, we need to keep you here until it does."

"How'd you know everythin was blurry?" Ennis asked.

"I could tell by lookin in your eyes. They're tryin to focus but not quite makin it. It's nothin to worry about. You took a pretty good knock on the head, concussions usually pass within a day or two.

They managed to keep him there for two days, and on the third day he was released.

Chapter Seven - ALMA STRIKES OUT AGAIN

"Excuse me, they gave me directions to Ennis' room, but I seem to have gotten lost. Can you help me?"

"Um, sure, lady." Lucas said, "Follow me. It is kind of tricky to find." He galloped up the stairs then had to slow down so she could follow.

"More stairs?" She complained as Lucas headed on up the next flight. "Seems to me a man with a broken ankle should be on the first floor."

"This is where his room is, and this is where he wanted to be." Lucas explained as they neared Ennis' room. "His room is the one on the left." Lucas smiled and left.

She turned the handle slowly, not knowing what to expect, and was pleased to find Ennis with his eyes closed so she went on in, closing the door behind her.

The small noise at the door roused him and Ennis opened his eyes. "Alma! What the... what are you doin here? How'd you get in?" He reached for his walkie-talkie on the nightstand and accidentally knocked it to the floor. Alma picked it up. "Give that to me!" He demanded.

"What for? So you can call for help?" She glanced at the item and placed it on the chest, across the room from Ennis' bed. "You don't need any help. I just came here to talk."

"We don't need to talk, Alma. I thought I made it clear that you are not welcome here!"

"Now Ennis, you got no call to be mean to me." She put on her 'poor-little-me' face. "All I wanna do is explain things to you."

"There's nothin you need to explain to me, Alma. Please—just go!" Ennis pleaded.

"Yes there is." She insisted. "I wanna explain how everythin got so... messed up."

"I'm not interested in anythin you have to say." Ennis said and rubbed his forehead with his one good hand.

"Does your head ache?" She asked taking a seat on the edge of his bed. "I could rub your temples for you if you'd like."

"No, I would not like!" He reached over to the buttons on the side of his bed and raised himself up a little more.

"I heard about your accident and I had to come; I just had to. I don't know why you have to be so mean to me." She pulled a tissue out of her purse and dabbed at her eyes.

"What exactly is it you want here?" Ennis asked, hopping someone would come check on him, but knowing that no one would for some time. He had gotten used to a nap after lunch in the hospital, and Joe and Jack both insisted he keep to that routine.

"I wanna explain to you... how I feel; why I did the things I did; about our divorce and stuff." She pleaded.

"Alma, that was more than ten years ago. Why you wanna go and dig all that stuff up for?"

"Because it's important for you to know!" She insisted.

"No it's not." Ennis was just as adamant. "It's done and buried. It don't mean nothin no more."

"Do you remember what it was like; back then, I mean?" She asked.

"I remember the fightin, and cryin, and yellin." Ennis said.

"I mean before all that; back when we first got married. We were so much in love, we couldn't keep our hands off each other. It was so good, Ennis. We loved each other so much. You remember promisin to love me for ever and ever?"

"Yeah, but that didn't last very long; did it?" Ennis said, wishing he could find some way to get out of this conversation, but it looked like he was in it now. He figured the best thing he could do was to just try and get it over with.

"We wanted the same things back then. We had so many hopes and dreams." Alma dreamily reminisced.

"We never wanted the same things. You wanted a fancy house in town, and I wanted to own my own ranch." Ennis corrected her.

"I'm talkin about a family." Alma gave him an indulgent little smile. "We both wanted a big family; lots and lots of babies."

"Yeah. I remember that. You gave me two and then you didn't want no more; you remember that?"

"I was scared, Ennis. We had so many bills and we couldn't pay 'em. What would a happened if we had more babies and even more bills? We'd a been put out on the street! Did you ever think a that? I sure did, all the time and it scared me. Haven't you ever been so scared you didn't know what to do?" She asked.

Ennis lay there starin at her, not knowing what to say to get rid of her.

"That was the only problem we ever had. Money. Don't you see that? If we'd a just had some money, we'd a still been married, with a whole house full a kids."

"Alma... I got nothin to say to that. You didn't like the life we had together, so you left and married your grocery man. Good for you. He give you a couple more kids, a house in town, and money to spend on nice clothes. So why'd you bust up with him for?"

"I never loved him, Ennis. I guess he knew that. The only man I ever loved was you. He couldn't hold a candle to you."

"Alma, you got no right talkin to me about this stuff." Ennis tried to think of what he could say to make her leave.

"Don't you see it, Ennis? It's all so clear to me. We could make a go of it now. Everythin would be just perfect. I could see to you and the girls, spend time with Momma..."

"No! Alma, that's crazy talk. You get that idea right out a your head!" Ennis couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I could even give you more babies. I know how you loved our girls when they were new born; it could be like that again, holdin your own little baby in your arms. Wouldn't you like that, Darlin?"

"Alma..." Ennis was beginning to get really upset. "You best leave now."

"Not until I finish what I come here to say. And you need to listen. It's important!" She insisted.

"With Monroe and the boys gone; the girls and Momma, they're all I got left now. I wanna be with them. They're my family and you know how important family is to me. And I could be a mother to K.E.'s kids too; poor little things. They need a mother, not just a lot of strangers all around the place. We could make a go of it, Ennis. I know we could."

Ennis was speechless and stared at her as she went on.

"Why didn't you never get re-married?" She waited for him to say something, and when he didn't, she went on. "I know why. It's because you never got over me either; did you?"

"That just ain't true, Alma." He insisted.

"Then why didn't you re-marry?" She demanded an answer.

"I guess I just ain't the marryin kind." Was the only answer he felt he could give her.

"Yes you are. I know you haven't forgotten how good it was for us; back before the kids came and we got all caught up in those bills. That was the only problem we ever had. Now we wouldn't have to worry about the bills. Don't you see that? Things would be just perfect for us. I'd be here to look after the house while you're out workin. I could see to the kids and even see about hirin a better class of help. I mean, really, Ennis. Your help leaves a lot to be desired."

"That 'help' you're talkin about, the woman you insulted last time you were here – she happens to be half owner a this ranch! She's Jack's momma."

"Well, it's not my fault I mistook her for the help, the way she dresses." She gave a disgusted look. "And if she'd had any kind a manners, she'd a already offered me some tea, and I wouldn't a had to ask for it."

"Jesus, Alma." Ennis was appalled. "You still feel like the whole world revolves around you!"

"Now you're bein mean to me again, Ennis, and I don't like it one bit." She pouted.

"Then maybe you'd better leave." Ennis said, hoping it would work this time.

"I'm not ready yet." She said, her face going grim. "So you're dead set on _not_ givin our marriage another chance?"

"That's the only thing you got right since you come in here." Ennis said.

"All right, then. If that's the way you feel. I have another proposition to offer you." She said.

Ennis sighed, would the woman _never_ leave?

"Don't you wanna hear it?" She asked.

"Just get it out and get it over with. I'm tired and I need to rest." He said.

"If you don't want me here in the house where I could be with my family; what about settin me up in a little place in Gillette so I could be close enough to visit now and then? I don't see how you could object to that."

Ennis' mouth dropped open; there were so many things he wanted to say, but he knew better than to say them. It would only prolong the situation.

"It wouldn't have to be anything big, not like this place. Just maybe three or four bedrooms so the kids would have a place to stay over; and of course, I'd need a small monthly check to keep it up." She ran on.

"Alma, did you take a fall and crack your head, or somethin; or did you just go this nutty all by yourself?" Ennis asked.

"There's no need for you to insult me, Ennis." She stammered. "I got every right to live comfortably—same as you and the girls do."

"Do you know what a divorce is, Alma? It means that you and I are through! Finished! We got no claims on each other. I paid you all the support the court said I had to; and that was the end of it. You won't get another dime from me. Not a house in Gillette, not a monthly check, not one single penny! You got that?" Ennis was getting his steam up now, and he no longer cared.

She got to her feet slowly, opened her purse, and pulled out an envelope. "I had hoped that I wouldn't have to use this, but you give me no choice." She turned and dropped the envelope on his chest and said, "Ennis del Mar, consider yourself served." She then walked out the door, slamming it behind her.

Not five minutes later, Jack and Joe burst into his room to find Ennis struggling to get out of bed.

"Ennis!" Jack got to him first. "What's happenin? Why you tryin to get out a bed?"

"We saw Alma comin down stairs and leavin. Was she in here?" Joe asked as he reached Ennis and took his pulse.

Ennis handed Jack the paper.

"Holy fuckin shit!" Jack exploded. "Who the hell does she think she is? She can't get away with this!"

"What is it?" Joe asked and reached for the paper.

"Alma's takin me to court, suin me for custody of the boys and Carrie." Ennis sighed, so glad that he now had someone by his side. "I guess I need to get me a lawyer." He said as Jack managed to get him back into bed and pulled the covers up.

"Oh we'll get a lawyer, all right." Jack assured him. "The best we can find. But first thing we're gonna do is get a lock put on that front gate! I can't believe that witch had the nerve to come back here again."

"I can." Was all Ennis had to say. He was too tired, too spent, to discuss it further.

"Joe, will you stay with him a few minutes while I make a couple a phone calls?" Jack asked.

"Sure thing." Joe said and settled himself in a chair beside the bed. And to Ennis he said, "You just rest now; we'll see to things."

By the time Jack got back, Ennis was asleep and Joe was dozing in his chair and awakened only when Jack put a hand on his shoulder. He motioned for Joe to be silent and to join him outside in the hallway.

"What's happenin? Did you find a lawyer?" Joe asked.

"Yeah, I did and he even agreed to drive out here tomorrow." Jack said. "Also, I ordered the best gate lock I could find. It'll take a couple a days to get here, but it will be worth it. Meanwhile, we got a see that Ennis isn't left alone. The last thing he needs right now is Alma showin up here again."

"She doesn't have a leg to stand on; does she?" Joe asked. "Legally, I mean?"

"I don't know." Jack answered honestly. "Those kids ain't blood to her, and the adoption has been granted but it ain't final for a year. We'll have to wait and see what the lawyer says tomorrow."

"What all did you tell him?" Joe asked.

"I read the papers to him and he said he'd look into it. He'll call in the mornin and tell us if he's comin in the mornin or afternoon." Jack said. "Can you talk with everyone and tell 'em to make sure they don't let anybody else in this house? No tellin who let her in."

"I'll do it right now." Joe said and left.

Jack went back into Ennis' room and sat by his bed.

The next afternoon Frank Grant, Attorney at Law out of Cheyenne showed up. Jack met him at the gate and brought him up to talk with Ennis.

"I appreciate you comin all the way out here." Jack was saying as they climbed the stairs. "I'll be happy to pay extra for you takin the trouble to do this for us."

"There won't be no need for that." Frank said as he followed Jack up. "My in-laws live over by Rocky Point, and the wife's been after me to bring her up for the weekend sometime. This gives me an excuse to get out of the house while they're visiting."

Jack made the introductions and the visit began.

"So what do you think my chances are?" Ennis asked sitting up in bed; anxious to hear what the lawyer had to say.

"Mr. del Mar – Ennis, this is nothin but a nuisance case. She's got no claim on you, or your money, or those kids. The only thing that surprises me is that she found an attorney to take the case. I assure you, no reputable lawyer would."

"But some lawyer did. Does she have a shot at gettin my kids?" Ennis asked.

"We already been to court and the adoption was granted." Jack said.

"That means that an investigation was done, and you were certified by the state as being a capable and responsible adoptive parent." Frank said. "The only way should could get it over-turned would be for her to have indisputable proof that you were an unfit parent. I don't see that happening."

"She can't prove somethin that ain't true; can she?" Ennis asked.

"My guess is, this is just a nuisance tactic, and her lawyer never expects to take it to court." Frank said. "What she's doing, is pestering you by threatening to take the kids, in hopes that you'll be so upset and frightened that you'll offer her a settlement to go away."

"What do you suggest we do?" Ennis asked.

"That's up to you." Frank shrugged. "I can see that you're bed-ridden, and in no shape for a prolonged legal battle. If you want to make some sort of peace offering; it might get her off your back."

"NO!" Ennis said adamantly. "I ain't sick, I'm just busted up a little bit. If she wants to go to court, I'll be there. She ain't getting one more dime out a me."

"Very well then." Frank said. "I admire your gumption under the circumstances. Like I said, I doubt this thing will ever get to court; and if it did, any judge worth his salt would see right through it."

"So our chances are pretty good then?" Jack asked.

"Out of one hundred percent—I'd say your chances are ninety nine percent." Frank said.

"What about that other one percent?" Ennis asked.

"Well you never can be sure what a judge is going to do." Frank said. "Judges are just men, and they make mistakes just like everyone else. Now, as your counsel, I have to ask you, is there any thing at all that she could use against you that might give the judge pause about leavin the children with you?"

Ennis shook his head, "No." He said firmly. "She's got nothin on me. I ain't never done anythin that would prove I'm unfit to be a daddy to those kids. She ain't no kin to them. They were my brother's kids, and now they're mine. She's got no claim to them at all."

"Is she particularly close to them? Does she visit them a lot, play with them, bring them presents?"

"No. None a those things." Ennis insisted.

"She's been out here to the ranch twice." Jack said. "And neither time did she ask to see the kids."

"I can't remember the last time she ever even saw them. I doubt they'd even know who she was if they saw her." Ennis said.

"Ah. That's good." Frank said. "Listen, I need to be gettin back to Rockey Point and the family. This case really intrigues me. I'm going to do a little investigating myself and see what I can come up with."

"What are you going to investigate?" Ennis asked.

"Just trust me on this one, Ennis." Frank said as he stood to leave. "You've got nothin to worry about. You just rest up and get to feelin better. I'm thinkin we might just try a little tactic ourselves. I'm sure they're plannin on a prolonged siege here, aggravating you to the point that you'll give in just to get rid of her. I think our best bet will ask the court to hear the case as soon as possible."

"Right away? Before you have a chance to investigate?" Ennis asked, frightened again.

"Yeah. That'll give 'em a scare. They won't be expectin it. They're thinkin there'll be a lot of negotiating. We're gonna tell 'em, bring it on. You got proof; let's see it. Cards on the table time. Chances are her attorney will dump the case. If it should go to trial, I might just have a surprise or two up my sleeve for them."

"You sure about this?" Ennis asked him. "I don't wanna do somethin that might lose me my kids."

"I eat people like this for breakfast and spit 'em out before lunch." Frank said with a chuckle. "They're not gonna know what hit 'em. We may even decide to try and get this lawyer disbarred for bringin a nuisance suit before the court."

"Can we get some kind a papers against her to keep her from comin around here?" Ennis asked.

"Oh don't you worry about that. It'll all be taken care of. She won't be able to contact you in any way when we get through with her. She'll regret the day she ever decided to bring this law suit." Frank said before shaking Ennis' hand and saying he'd be in touch within the next few days.

Jack saw him out and hurried back to Ennis. "Well, what do you think?"

"I don't know why, but I trust him." Ennis said. "I think he knows what he's doin."

"That's the same impression I got." Jack said.

"He say anythin more to you on the way out?" Ennis asked.

"Nah. Just comments about the house." Jack said. "You don't think maybe he's too over-confident?"

"He's a lawyer. He knows the law." Ennis reasoned. "I wouldn't think he'd be confident at all if the law wasn't on our side."

"That's true." Jack said. "I guess we can relax a bit now that he's handlin everythin."

A court date was set for two weeks after the attorney's visit. Everyone was shocked, and worried, and worked hard at not letting Ennis see it.

"But Dad," Charlie said one evening as he sat by Ennis' bed side. "I don't understand. Why is she tryin to get custody of us? I thought the adoption was final?"

"The adoption was granted, Charlie; but it don't get final for one year." Ennis explained.

"So she can just take us?" Charlie asked and teared up.

"No, Son. She can't just take you." Ennis did his best to comfort the boy. "She has to take me to court and prove that I'm unfit to be your daddy first."

"But she can't do that!" Charlie erupted. "She can't prove somethin that ain't true!"

"That's what we're thinkin." Ennis explained. "Our lawyer says we got nothin to worry about; so I don't want you to worry. This is just a nuisance thing. Once we get it handled, we're gonna get what's called a no-contact order against her, and that means she has to stay away, and can't contact us, or bother us anymore."

"I wish it was over with." Charlie said. "I don't like court business."

"We made out pretty good last time; didn't we?" Ennis smiled and tried to get Charlie to relax. "Judge give me full custody of you kids. I can't see this judge doin anythin different.

The entire family came to court but had to wait out in the waiting room. Only members of the immediate family were allowed in. Jack was allowed in long enough to push Ennis in a wheel chair up to the front of the room to a table where Frank Grant was seated, then was asked to wait outside. Jenny, Junior, and Kurt sat on the bench behind Ennis. Alma sat on the other side of the room at a table with her attorney. The rest of the courtroom was empty.

Soon the Bailiff showed up, had everyone stand while the judge came in and was seated at his bench, and announced the case.

"Proceed Mr. Finkbine." The judge said to Alma's attorney.

"Um... yes sir... I mean Your Honor."

Ennis thought that Mr. Finkbine looked as nervous to be there as he was.

"My client... er... Mrs. Alma del Mar, is asking the court to rehear the adoption case for the three del Mar children, her niece and two nephews. She feels that she is in a much better position to see to the needs of small children than her ex-husband is as his work often takes him out of town for long periods of time and the children would be left alone without proper supervision. In her care, they would get her undivided attention, the kind of attention only a mother could give to children." He shuffled the notes he held in his hand and dropped a few pages before sitting down.

The judge stared at Mr. Finkbine like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He turned to Frank Grant and said, "Your turn, Mr. Grant."

"Thank you, Your Honor." He stood and spoke. "My client was investigated, his home was investigated, and the adoption was granted by the authorities of Campbell County. As you can see by the briefs presented to the court, Mr. del Mar is financially stable, has a substantial income, has never been in trouble with the law, and the minute he found the children were in distress, he drove cross-state to get them. He has been interviewed by the county, the children have been interviewed, and everyone is more than satisfied that this placement should be granted."

"Short and to the point." Ennis thought. He liked that. No muss, no fuss; just the facts.

"Mr. Finkbine? Do you have your papers in order now? Would you like to continue?" The judge asked.

"Uh... yes sir... Your Honor." Again he shuffled his papers and finally stood. "The fact that Mr. del Mar has money, is not disputed here. The fact is, that he is an occasionally an absentee father, and has a bunch of strangers living in his house. The children would be exposed to God only knows what kind of influences. Mrs. del Mar, on the other hand, would be a twenty-four hour a day parent; capable of attending to the children's every need. She is a fine, intelligent, church-going young woman, respected in her community by all who know her. And above all that, your honor; she loves these children with all her heart and wants whats best for them. We hope that the court will see that a home with this fine upstanding woman would be far better for three growing children than life with a sometimes father, out on a hundred year old ranch." He gave a little bow and sat back down.

"Mr. Grant?" The judge turned to Frank.

"Thank you your honor." Frank said and stood up. "First, I'd like to make something perfect clear. These children are not any blood relation to Alma at all. They are the children of Ennis del Mar's brother who is currently, and most likely permanently, in a long-term medical facility. She _was_ related to them only by marriage, and that marriage ended eleven years ago. Second, twice now Mr. Finkbine has mentioned that Ennis is 'occasionally an absentee father' – 'his work often takes him out of town for long periods of time' – Mr. del Mar was a ranch hand for most of his life. Occasionally he would be out of town during round up. This never happened more that once or twice a year; and only for a few days. He is now ranch manager on a small family ranch and such absents are no longer required. And third, we'd very much like to know how she expects to support the children? She has no job, no income at all other that a small monthly check she receives from another of her ex-husbands after she agreed to sign over all parental rights to the two boys she had with that husband."

The judge's eyebrows went up and he turned to Mr. Finkbine. "Mr. Finkbine? I'd like to know the answer to that myself. How does Mrs. del Mar expect to support the children?"

"Well... a... of course we expected that the court would grant child support on her behalf." He stuttered.

The judge leaned back in his chair and sighed. "And her income? Is what Mr. Grant said true?"

"It's true... that she is not currently employed. It is her desire to be a stay at home mom to these children. She feels like they deserve to have a full time mother." Mr. Finkbine said.

"So what you're asking is for this court to grant your client custody of three children, with child support, so that she can be a stay at home mother to children that aren't any relation to her at all? Why on earth would any court even consider such a preposterous request?" The judge asked.

"I'd like to answer that, Your Honor." Alma stood up.

"Please do." The judge said. "I can't wait to hear this."

"Ennis never was much of a father; he was always goin off huntin or fishin and never took us anywhere. We was married for ten years and never once did we go on a vacation, or travel, or do anythin other couples do. He didn't want to go out dancin, or eatin in restaurants or nothin. All he wanted to do was work out on some dirty old ranch and come home filthy every night. Why I stuck it out ten years with him, I don't know. Truth is, he don't know nothin about bein a good parent. I do. I love those kids, your honor; and the only thing I care about in this world is makin a good home for them. Seein to their every need. Not surroundin myself with a bunch a strangers, or huntin buddies, or whatever those men are he has livin with him."

"Mr. Grant?" The judge said turning to Frank.

"Your Honor, with the courts permission, I'd like to present a little demonstration."

"Please do, Mr. Grant." The judge said.

"Thank you Your Honor." Frank said and stepped over to an easel, uncovered it and showed six photos of boys; all about twelve years old. "Your honor, these are all twelve-year old boys. Could we have Alma point out her 'nephew" for the court?"

Everyone gasped. Ennis looked at the photos and Charlie's photo wasn't up there.

The judge grinned.

"Your honor!" Mr. Finkbine jumped up. "This is highly irregular."

"This is family court, Mr. Finkbine. We do lots of irregular things here." He turned to Alma and said, "Please do show us which of these young men is your nephew."

"It's been a while since I've seen him." Alma said as she strained to look at the photos.

"Would you like a closer look?" The judge asked. "Mr. Grant, please move the easel closer."

"Certainly, Your Honor." Frank said and moved the easel over directly in front of Alma.

She stood and looked the photos over carefully and pointed to the blond boy in the upper right hand corner. "That one. That's my Cody."

Frank wrote the name 'Cody' across the bottom of the photo, pulled it loose and handed it to the judge. He then turned the page and said. "And here we have six photos of ten-year old boys. Which one is your nephew?"

Again she studied the photos and picked out another blond haired boy. "And that's my darlin Charlie." She said. Confident in her choice.

Frank wrote 'Charlie' on the photo and handed it to the judge. Then flipped the page again and this time there were six photos of four-year old girls.

Again, Alma took her time, looking the photos over carefully and chose a little blond girl. "And that's my darlin little Connie." She said before sitting down with a smug look on her face.

Again, Frank labeled the photo Alma chose and handed it to the judge.

The judge turned to Frank and said, "Exactly what does this demonstration prove, Mr. Grant?"

"One more moment's indulgence, if I may." Frank asked.

The judge nodded. "Go ahead. I'm curious now."

Frank walked over to the door, opened it and motioned for the three kids to come in. He had them stand in front of the judges bench, and introduced them. None of the photos remotely resembled the children.

"As you can see, Your Honor. These are not the children in the photos. She has no idea what these children even look like. She hasn't seen them or been in contact with them in years. In fact, it's doubtful she's ever even seen Carrie – not Connie – before. And it's Charlie who's twelve, not Cody."

"I said I hadn't seen 'em in a while." Alma jumped up. "He wouldn't never take me to see 'em. He wouldn't take me anywhere."

"You've been divorced from Mr. del Mar for the last ten years." The judge said. "You couldn't find a way to get over to see the children that you profess to love so much in all that time?"

"Well, I was busy, I had to work, I had no way to get all the way over to Sage." She sputtered. "He should a took me there. He could a come over and taken me to visit 'em, but he wouldn't. He always found time to go huntin or fishin though. Just never time for his family. He's just not a good father, Your Honor, or he'd a done better by me. Me and the girls."

"Another question," the judge asked. "These children that you signed over to their father, how old were they?"

"The boys?" Alma asked, "One's seven and one's five."

"So you were married after your divorce from Mr. del Mar?" The judge asked.

"Yes. What's that got to do with anythin?" Alma asked.

"Can you tell me why you're still using by Mr. del Mar's name?" The judge asked.

"Cause I divorced my other husband and went back to my former name. Alma del Mar. What's so unusual about that?"

"Do you not understand what a divorce is?" The judge asked her. "It means that all ties between the two of your are finished. And that means you no longer are entitled to use his name. If you _are _using his name, I suggest you change it immediately. Otherwise he could take you to court and get a cease and desist order against you."

"What's that mean?" She asked.

The judge gave a disgusted sigh and said, "Please sit down Miss... whatever your name really is."

He twiddled his gavel a few minutes before speaking. "Mr. Finkbine?"

Mr. Finkbine stood up quickly, nearly over-turning the table. "Yes sir... I mean Your Honor?"

"Have you ever tried a case in court before?" The judge asked him.

"N..no Your Honor." He answered timidly.

"Let me give you a piece of advice. This lawsuit is what is known in the profession as a nuisance lawsuit. Any lawyer with any experience at all would know better than to take a case like this. Take a good look at this woman." He said and pointed to Alma. "This is what spite, deceit, and greed looks like. She doesn't even now these children. She is out for one thing, revenge against an ex-husband who has come into some money, and she thinks because she was married to him, she has a right to it. She doesn't. Not legally, not morally."

"That's not fair!" Alma jumped up.

"SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP." The judge ordered. "This court has heard all it wants to from you. You should be ashamed of yourself, but of course, people like you don't know the first thing about

shame.

Alma sat down all pouty faced.

"Mr. del Mar, I strongly suggest that you immediately file a cease and desist order against this woman for using your name, along with a no-contact order. If she gives you any more trouble at all, please let the court know. This woman is a menace." He started to get up and sat back down. "In case I haven't made myself perfectly clear – this case is dismissed as baseless and groundless; totally without merit." he banged his gavel and left the court room.

Their celebration was short lived as news came soon after they arrived home that the teen-aged boy who had hit Ennis had his court appearance; been found guilty, and his punishment was a five-thousand dollar fine and a hundred hours of community service. The fine had been paid on the spot by his parents who promptly moved out of state, avoiding any chance of the boy doing the community service.

Everyone was upset by the light sentence he got, but Jack said to the group, "Actually he did the community a greater service by moving out of state!" Everyone agreed with that.

They had come to trust and admire Frank Grant for all his legal help and filled him in on Gloria's situation. He agreed to take the case and got to work on it immediately. By the time Ennis was back on his feet, with only occasional need of a cane, the court date was set. It was time to go to court again.

Chapter Eight - GLORIA'S STORY

As Gloria told the story of her sad life to the court, she was interrupted.

"Your Honor, this story sounds like a complete work of fiction to me; something she made up to gain sympathy from the court. I did a little research, and there's no record of a Ruth Riley ever living at two-o-nine Harris Street. Ever." Miss Fletcher, case worker for Campbell County, said.

"But we did!" Gloria insisted. "I promise you!"

"Your honor," Frank Grant addressed the court. "If I may?" He motioned towards the screen and slide projector that had been set up in the court room.

"Certainly." The Judge nodded his approval.

"Miss Fletcher is absolutely correct. I checked the address out as well, and there is no record of a Ruth Riley ever living there. And I have to admit that I got the same impression about Gloria making the story up. Then I dug a little further." He reached down and flicked on the projector. A photograph of a school showed on the screen.

"Your honor, this is Beecher Elementary school, located at 377 Sullivan Street." Another click of the projector and a small map appeared. "Beecher Elementary is approximately eight blocks from the Harris Street address." He clicked the projector again and the face of a ten-year old Gloria appeared.

"Class photos, your honor." The next slide showed three photos of Gloria; at ages ten, eleven, and twelve. Her name clearly stamped underneath each photograph.

"It is now standard procedure in our elementary schools, as I'm sure you're aware, that at the end of the school year the teacher fills out an evaluation of each student." He clicked the projector again and a slide showing the evaluation of Gloria Riley, 209 Harris Street, came up. "Straight A-student, very intelligent, extremely introverted. Has no friends, and avoids any attempt by other students to make friends. She's well behaved, pleasant attitude, and helpful. Appears to be extremely under-weight, wears only jeans and white t-shirts."

The next two evaluations were remarkably similar. Another few clicks and report cards appeared on the screen showing the front with Gloria's name, and the back signed by Ruth Riley.

"Very well, Mr. Grant." The judge said. "I think you've proven your point. The girl has indeed been speaking the truth in that she lived at that address, and attended Beecher Elementary for the three years she testified to."

"Thank you Your Honor." Frank said and sat back down at the table.

"Please go on with your story, Miss Riley." The judge said.

"The summer I turned thirteen, we moved again; to an apartment on Fifth Street. It was a nicer apartment than the one on Harris Street, but it was still only a one bedroom. My mother told me that if anyone asked, I was to say that she was my aunt and I was just visitin. She never wanted anyone to know that she had a daughter."

"And you changed schools again?" Frank prompted her.

"Yes sir. I went to eight grade at Dixon Elementary."

"And I presume you have photographs of her graduating class and diploma?" The judge asked.

"I do." Frank stood up, but the judge waved him back down. "That won't be necessary right now. Please go on, Miss Riley.

"I was still raking lawns, sweepin sidewalks, and shovelin snow to make a little money. One day I ran into a boy who was doin the same thing. His name was Alex Holliday and he was fifteen. He said he was gettin five dollars to rake lawns and if I wanted to work for him, he'd give me two dollars for every lawn I raked. That was twice what I'd been askin, so we started workin together. We met one day to settle up for some lawns I'd done, and he told me he was quittin, that he had gotten a job. A real job. I asked him how he could get a job at fifteen, and he said that he went to the library, printed out a copy of a birth certificate, wiped out the information on it with Wite-out, and typed his own name and information that showed he was sixteen, then made a copy of it; and it looked real. I asked him to show me how he did it, and he did. He told me I was tall enough and could pass for sixteen if I fixed my hair and wore a dress instead of jeans and t-shirts all the time."

"So that's what I did. I fixed myself a new birth certificate, went to the second-hand store and bought myself a dress, and went to the closest hamburger joint. It was called 'Manny's Place'. I started workin there part time, and was able to save up even more money."

"What did your mother say about you working at thirteen?" Frank asked her.

"She didn't know. She never asked where I was. She didn't care. I only had one rule that I had to follow, and that was to disappear whenever one of her boy friends came over. She never asked where I went, and I never told her. Most of the time it was just out to the back yard shed unless I was workin."

"What were you planning on doing with the money you were saving?" Frank asked.

"I was usin it to look for my father. My plan was that when I found him, I'd get myself a bus ticket and go live with him." Gloria said. "My birth certificate said his name was Shawn Riley. At first I called the Shawn Rileys in the area. There were only two of them. One was a ninety-seven year old man who'd been in a wheel chair for twenty years. The other one was a nineteen year old. So neither of them could have been my father.

"I widened my search to the rest of the state then, and made all my calls from a pay phone. That's where a lot of that money went. Long distance phone calls. Once I'd called every Shawn Riley in the state, and there were about twenty or so of them, I gave up for a while. I figured there was no possible way to find him."

"Did you ever ask your mother about him?" Frank asked.

"I tried several times and she always got mad. She'd tell me different things at different times. One time she said that Shawn Riley was her fiancée and he died. Another time she said that he was a married man and couldn't do right by her, even though he wanted to, because he had a sick wife and couldn't leave her. One time she yelled at me that she had no idea who my father was, and that she just made the name Shawn Riley up. So I don't know what the truth is. I did my best to find out, but I never found anything."

"And your mother, what kind of work did she do to support the two of you?" Frank asked.

Gloria's demeanor darkened. "She never had any job that I knew of."

"How did you survive then?" Frank asked.

"I asked her that one time, and she said that she relies on the kindness of her friends. What she meant by that, I'm not exactly sure."

"And the apartment on Fifth street." Frank asked. "That's where you finished elementary school and entered Finley High School?"

"Yes sir." She said. "That's when Momma started seein this one guy in particular. More than any of the others, I mean. She said he wanted to marry her. They used to go off for weeks at a time, and I'd never hear from her. I wouldn't a minded, but report cards had just come out and I needed her to sign for me. Luckily she got back in time and I didn't get in trouble."

"How often did she go off with this guy?" Frank asked.

"At first it was just once in a while; then it got to the point where she was gone more than she was home."

"Weren't you scared bein there all alone?" Frank asked.

"I was always scared when I was at home. The only time I wasn't scared was when I was at school or at work." She said.

"What were you frightened of?" Frank asked.

"Momma's other boy friends. They kept comin around lookin for her. I'd hide like Momma said so they wouldn't see me; but one time I was busy studying. It was hot so I had the front door open to catch the breeze. Some guy come right up on the porch, opened the door and walked right in. He was drunk as a skunk and..." She looked down, like she didn't want to go any further.

"And what, Gloria?" Frank encouraged her as gently as he could.

"He kept tryin to kiss me. I told him like Momma said, that I was just visitin my aunt, but it was like he didn't even hear me. He just kept tryin to kiss me. I finally stepped out on the porch and when he came out after me, I jumped back inside and locked the door quick. He pounded and pounded on the door, but I didn't open it again."

"And how old were you when this happened?" Frank asked.

"Fourteen." She said.

Miss Fletcher visibly cringed.

Ennis sat with balled up fists in his lap, seething with anger.

"When Momma got home and I told her, she got really mad at me. She said I should have been nicer to him and he'd a given me a present. We had a really big fight that night, and that was the first time I ran away." She said.

"Where did you go?" Fank asked.

"I went to the park. It was May, and warm enough, so I slept there in the park for two nights before I went back. I needed to get back to school, tests were comin up and I didn't want to miss 'em." She explained.

"What did your mom say when you got back?" Frank asked.

"Nothin much. Just that I'd better be more careful about lettin people see me. She said she was the only one on the lease and if they found out I was livin there, she'd get thrown out, and she didn't want to lose that apartment because it was so nice and close to all her friends."

"Did something happen to make you run away again?" Frank asked.

"I ran away a lot that summer. Momma and me got into it almost every day." She stopped for a moment and Frank urged her to go on. "One Friday evenin that same guy came back; the one who tried to kiss me. I was hidin like I was supposed to, when Momma came and got me and told me to come inside and apologize to him. We argued but she grabbed me by the arm and pulled me inside where he was waitin. She insisted that I apologize, so I did; hopin that would be the end of it and I could go out back and hide again until he was gone; but it didn't work out that way."

"What happened?" Frank asked.

"Momma kept goin on and on about how I should be nice to Freddie, that's what she called him, Freddie. She said he was a very nice man and just wanted to spend a little time with me, talk with me, so he could get to know me better and we could become friends." Gloria began to shake as she told her story.

"Momma said she needed to step out for a few minutes and she wanted me to stay there and... be nice to him. She wasn't hardly out the door when he started tryin to kiss me again, sayin he had a present for me, and how beautiful I was. I tried to be nice – I really did, but I couldn't stand the way he was touchin my hair, and lookin at me all creepy like. I didn't mean to do it, I really didn't, but I gave him a shove and he fell over the coffee table. I just took off runnin. School was out by then so I stayed gone a whole week. I didn't go back until the next weekend."

"Where did you stay that time?" Frank asked.

"There was a car lot about six blocks from the house. I tried all the cars and finally found one that was unlocked. That's where I slept. I was workin more hours then, and had to wear the uniforms they give us, so I didn't have to worry none about havin clean clothes to change into."

"And what happened when you returned home?" Frank asked.

She wiped a tear from her cheek and answered. "She was gone. The apartment had a 'For Rent' sign on the front and it was empty."

"Gone?" The judge asked.

"Yes sir." Gloria turned and answered him. "I never saw my mother again after that."

"Did you try and find her?" Frank asked.

"I did." She said. "But I couldn't find her. I went back to our old place on Harris Street, thinkin she might a gone back there, but she wasn't there. I kind a figured she married that guy she said that wanted to marry her. But I didn't know his name so I had no way a lookin him up."

"What did you do?" Frank asked.

"I had to quit school and work more. I went to the library and found forms to get myself declared an emancipated minor. I copied 'em and put my information on 'em and carried 'em around with me. I found a second job, and a tiny one room apartment that I could afford. The landlady looked at my papers real suspicious like. I thought for sure she'd turn me in to the police, but all she said was that I could live there as long as I didn't cause no trouble."

"And was there any trouble?" Frank asked.

"Yeah, but I didn't cause it. The land lady's son got arrested for growin pot in the back yard. I saw they were comin through and questionin everyone who lived there, so I took off. I decided the best thing I could do was to get out a town. I had a little over a hundred dollars saved up, so I started thumbin rides. I made it all the way down to Rock Springs." She was talking slower now. Carefully selecting her words. "I... a... met a guy. He said he'd help me. And... he didn't."

"I know this part is difficult, Gloria; but the court needs to know what happened next." Frank said.

She swallowed hard, took a deep breath and went on. "He seemed nice at first, like he really wanted to help me. But once I got into his camper... he...a...he raped me."

The judges face twisted in grim sympathy.

"Go on please. We need to know how this all relates to your meeting with Mr. del Mar." Frank said.

"He took all my clothes and burned them. He kept me in his camper and wouldn't let me talk to anyone; if I did, he'd beat me. He liked beatin me and found some reason most every day to beat me."

She had to stop to wipe her nose before going on. "There were days when we just drove and drove and I didn't know where we were goin or if we were even in Wyomin anymore. One day he stopped and I could hear him talkin with someone. I peeked out and saw he was talkin to... Ennis.

"They were arguin. I guess I made a noise 'cause Ennis called for me to come outside. I didn't know what to do. I knew I wasn't supposed to be talkin to strangers or it would mean another beatin, but Ennis called out again, so I grabbed up a blanket, wrapped it around myself and stepped outside."

"What happened then?" Frank asked.

"They were arguin somethin fierce. He wanted Ennis to give him one of their trucks. Ennis said no. He pulled a rifle out and pointed it at Ennis, poked him in the stomach with it. Ennis was fast as lightnin, and pulled a pistol out and put it to this guy's forehead. Told him to go ahead and shoot, but he didn't. He was too scared he'd get shot in the head if he did. Ennis told him to get off their property. The guy told me to get back in the camper. I was shakin so bad, I couldn't move. One a the women in Ennis' group came over, and put her arm around me and whispered to me, askin me if I wanted to go with him or stay there with them. I whispered back that I wanted to stay with them. She told him that I was gonna stay there with them. He started cussin and yellin, and Ennis told him again to get off the property and he finally got in the truck and left."

"And did you report this to the authorities?" Frank asked.

"No sir."

"Can you explain to the court why you didn't report this abuse?" The judge asked.

Gloria was full on crying now. "I didn't want to. There's no law that says I have to report it; none that I know of anyway. So I didn't. He was gone and I was safe. That was all that mattered."

"Is all this true, Mr. del Mar?" The judge asked Ennis, sitting at the table in front of him.

"Yes, sir." Ennis said through clenched teeth.

"Why didn't you encourage Miss Riley to report such a crime? Surely you could see how important it was to get such a man off the streets?" The judge asked.

"I... I didn't want to. I knew we could keep Gloria safe, see to her properly; and it seemed like that was the only thing that mattered." Ennis said.

"Why was he on your property, and why did he think that you'd give him a truck?" The judge asked.

Ennis looked down, disgusted with the whole thing and stood up. "Your Honor, sir; I didn't report it because the guy who done it was K.E. del Mar. My brother."

It was if the entire world fell silent. Everyone's jaw dropped.

"Did I hear you right?" The judge asked. "It was your _brother?"_

"Yes sir. You heard me right." Ennis said.

"That man should be in jail – brother or not!" Miss Fletcher said angrily.

"May I explain further?" Ennis asked the judge.

"Please do." The judge said.

"K.E. is a mental patient in the Lincoln County State Hospital at Rock Springs. He was an alcoholic and had a breakdown. They tell me he will most likely be there for the rest a his life. They say it would take a miracle for him to recover. If that should ever happen, he will be facin criminal charges there in Lincoln County. Chances of him ever being out in the public again are zero." Ennis explained.

"I see." The judge said as he sat and twiddled his gavel in front of him. "I understand a lot more about this case now." He paused for a moment before going on. "I'm assuming you feel some sort of obligation to Miss Riley. Is that the main reason for your desire to adopt her?"

"No. It's not." Ennis said. "At first we all just felt real sorry for her for what she'd been through. When she told us her story about her mother runnin out on her; we figured we'd let her stay just until we could figure out how to help her. We tried to find her mother. Even hired a private detective to track her down, but he couldn't find nothin on her. And after Gloria'd been with us a while, we saw what a fine young lady she was. She fit right in, and before we knew it she became a part of us. Part of our family." Ennis stopped for a moment before going on.

"The one thing she wants most is to get her high school diploma. She wants to be a teacher. And she'll make a fine one. We got a couple a retired teachers livin with us, and they tell me she's with them every lesson they give our kids that they're home schoolin, and that she'd be a natural for a teacher. She wants to get her legal status cleared up so she can get back to school, and on to college. She's been with us a while now, and we feel like she's part of our family. We don't wanna lose her. She's close friends now with my other daughters. We, the entire family, want nothin but the best for her, and we think that would be to continue livin with us as part of our family." With that, he finished and sat down.

"Mr. Grant?" The judge waved for him to continue.

"Thank you, your honor. Gloria is sixteen now," Frank stood up and spoke. "And in a lot of states it would be legal for her to be on her own. It seems to me that she's been alone for most of her life until now. She had the good fortune to be taken in by this family, and it's worked out beautifully for all concerned. Mr. del Mar has already adopted the three children of his ill brother; so he, and the rest of the family, have been thoroughly investigated by the county. I've included their report in my brief, Your Honor. Every single member of this family has offered to come and testify on her behalf. They all love her and want her to remain with them. We beg the court to grant this adoption and make this family complete." Frank concluded. "I thank you for your time, Your Honor."

"Do you intend to go adopting every troubled child you run into, Mr. del Mar?" The judge asked.

"No sir." Ennis said, standing up to speak to the judge again. "I ain't some do-gooder goin out lookin for troubled kids to adopt. My brother's kids, I've known since they were born. They're blood kin to me; and have always been very special to me. Soon as I heard the family was in trouble I come for them. They needed a pa, so I stepped up when I found out my brother couldn't. And Gloria, she come to us as a surprise. All sweet and innocent, and never havin a family to speak of; she fit right in, and we all fell in love with her. She's a real special girl, your Honor. And we consider it a privilege to have her with us."

"Well why not just be a legal guardian then. It isn't necessary for you to adopt her." The judge asked.

"Legal guardian?" Ennis asked. "That sounds like a jailer or somethin. That ain't the way it is. Your honor. She's like a daughter to me, a sister to my kids. She's not some charity case that we took in so she could help with the housework."

Ennis cleared his throat and went on. "She's never had a daddy. I wanna give her that. I want her to know what it's like to have a daddy who loves her and will always be there for her no matter what. She don't even know what her real name is. I wanna give her mine. We want it all legal and tidy so if she ever needs any medical stuff done, I can take care of it with no problems, no delays. She'll be goin off to college in a couple years, and I wanna be considered next of kin, in case she needs anythin. I don't want there to be no questions about her legal status, or where her legal home is. Her home is with us. It's where she wants to be, it's where she feels safe and protected. It's where she belongs." Ennis sat back down.

"And what are your plans if her mother should happen to show up?" The judge asked.

"We got none. I don't see that happenin. We live way out in the country; Lightnin Flat is fifty miles from the nearest town. It ain't likely we'll be runnin in to her." Ennis answered.

"And what about you, Miss Riley." The judge asked. "What would you do if your mother was to show up. Would you want to go back to live with her?"

"Oh no sir!" Gloria said from the stand. "I've been tryin to get away from her since I was ten yeas old. All I want is to be a part of this family that I love so much; and they love me too! I hope I never do see her again. If I was to see her walkin down the street, I'd turn and walk the other way."

"All right then." The judge said. "I need to take a little time here to read through these reports. It's liable to take me a couple of hours. You'll be notified when I've reached my decision."

They had decided to await the judge's decision at a local eatery. They ordered lunch but not many of them were able to eat. They nibbled on their food while Gloria sat next to Ennis, holding on to his arm.

"What's the worst that can happen?" Ennis asked Frank Grant.

"If the court refuses the adoption, Gloria, most likely, will be taken into custody by the Campbell County Child Welfare, placed in a temporary foster home until arrangements can be made for a more permanent foster placement."

"Ohhh." Gloria moaned and buried her face against Ennis' shoulder and couldn't stop the tears.

"We'll still be able to see her; won't we?" Ennis asked. "I mean, we can visit her, talk to her on the phone, maybe have her on weekends?"

"That will be up to the judge." Frank said.

"Once she's eighteen she'll be free to go where ever she wants; right?" Jack asked. "Gloria, honey; that's only about a year and a half; and you could come back home."

Gloria raised her head and looked at Frank. "Is that true? I'd only have to stay there till I'm eighteen?"

"Absolutely." Frank assured her. "Once your eighteen, you're considered an adult and you'd be free as a bird." He gave her a reassuring smile.

"Now then; that's wouldn't be so bad." Ennis said putting an arm around her.

"On my eighteenth birthday, I'll come back if they take me away." Gloria said, wiping at the tears with her napkin. "They can't keep me away after that."

"We'll have a party for you!" Bobby said and everyone agreed, trying to cheer Gloria up.

"Eat something, Darlin." Mrs. Twist said. "You didn't eat a bite for breakfast and it's long past lunch time. You need to eat to keep your strength up."

Gloria looked around at everyone. "This could be my last meal with you all... for a year and a half." She picked up her sandwich and took a small bite.

"Too bad it's not one a those chili cheese burgers." Charlie said. "I'll bet you she'd be able to eat one a those!"

She gave a little grin. "Those sure were good." She agreed.

A waitress came to the table and told Frank that he was wanted on the phone. He left and returned a few minutes later with the news. The judge had made his decision.

They filed into the courtroom a few minutes later, the entire family, filling up two rows of seats.

The judge entered and took his seat and began to speak.

"I have read all your reports, Mr. Grant; and I must say that I'm impressed with their thoroughness." He turned to Gloria then as she sat in front at the table with Ennis and Frank Grant. "Young lady, you have had a very difficult life so far. I find that you have uncommon good sense for someone so young; and have from a very young age, been striving to make the best of your unfortunate circumstances. You spent many years searching for your father. I put it to you this day, that you have finally found him. I find no reason whatsoever to deny your wishes. I hereby grant this adoption!" He banged his gavel and everyone stood up and cheered.

Gloria clung to Ennis and cried, Ennis held her tight and cried, the family gathered around them and cried.

The judge gave a backward glance as he left the courtroom and smiled. He had made a lot of people happy this day. This would be a case he would long remember.

The finishing touches were made to the new addition by the end of October, and Melvin Black got his bonus; even though there were a few light dustings of show before his work was completed. The family finished their part a few weeks later and everyone eagerly moved into their rooms.

"We should be on this huntin trip." Ennis said glumly as he watched the three soldiers and Marty take off for the Big Horns one cold snowy day in November. "You could go."

"Nope." Jack said, as he lit a cigarette and stood beside Ennis watching the trucks pull away. "I don't go huntin without you, and you're not up to it this year."

"I could make it." Ennis protested; hating the fact that he knew he couldn't really as the cold bothered his newly mended ankle and arm.

"We'll go next year." Jack said. "With any luck the guys will get us an elk; maybe even some turkey. And if they don't; we'll buy some."

"That ain't the point, Jack. I just miss us bein out there." Ennis pouted.

"Can't be helped this year." Jack said and drew Ennis over to the couch next to the roaring fireplace. "Look at it this way. This will give us time to decide what we want to get everyone for Christmas."

"Yeah." Ennis sighed. "It won't be the same though."

"I know." Jack agreed. "We been huntin together for the last twenty years now. I miss it too, Cowboy."

Bobby came barreling into the room then. "Dad! Dad! You're never gonna guess what I found!"

Jack leaned back, resting his head against the back of the couch; so pleased to have his son a part of their lives. "What is it Son?"

"Look!" He handed Jack a bunch of photos.

Jack flipped through them, and it was Ennis looking at the photos along with him, that caught on first.

"Photos from before..." Ennis blurted out as he reached for one of the four girls sitting together with their babies.

It dawned on Jack then. "Oh my God! Did you show these to anyone?"

"No; just Kenny. Not the girls; if that's what you mean." Bobby said.

"I knew you were takin pictures." Ennis said. "I never dreamed..."

"These are perfect!" Jack said. "I guess you did learn a lot in that photography glass you were takin in school."

"I had about ten rolls a film I took in to be developed. I didn't even realize I still had this roll." Bobby said, about to burst with excitement.

"But..." Ennis said. "How did it... make it?"

"I think I had it in my pocket when everythin... you know... went back to where it was." Bobby explained.

Jack and Ennis both were examining the photos.

"I was thinkin, Dad. I've been tryin to think what to get the girls for Christmas. What if I had some of these enlarged and framed? Do you think they'd like that for Christmas?"

"I think they'd love it!" Jack said as he admired one photo of Jenny sitting next to Ennis on the couch with her tiny baby asleep against Ennis' chest.

"And for the grannies, I was thinkin I'd make a photo album for each of them and include all the photos. What do you think?"

"I think that's a great idea." Jack agreed. "I'm sure they'll love it."

"We should have this one framed and put over the mantle." Ennis said of the one photo of the four girls; Jeanie, Junior, Jenny, and Gloria, sitting next to each other holding their babies. All laughing and smiling, the babies all alert and adorable. "No professional could a took a better picture."

"You really think so?" Bobby was thrilled. "Because photography has always been what I love the most. I always thought that maybe I might do it for a livin."

"I remember you won a couple a photography contests." Jack said, admiring his son's work. "These really are good, Bobby."

"I haven't decided yet." Bobby said. "I'm still thinkin about ranchin, but if I don't do that; I might like to go into photography."

"So you're no longer interested in a career in international business then?" Jack asked, knowing that was what Bobby had planned to study in the school in Switzerland.

"Nah." Bobby shook his head. "I never really was. That was somethin Grandpa and Momma dreamed up. She wanted to take me into the business with her, and maybe expand Newsome Farm Equipment all over Texas. That was her dream though; not mine."

"Well, you should follow your own dreams, Bobby." Jack said and handed the photos back to him. "It's your life; you should live it the way you want."

"You won't be disappointed if I don't go into ranchin then?" Bobby asked.

"I want you to do whatever makes you the happiest." Jack assured him.

"You could always do both, if you was interested in both." Ennis said.

"How could I do both?" Bobby asked, intrigued by the idea.

"You could work in town doin photography, and maybe have a little ranch outside a town. A small ranch wouldn't take up near as much time as a bigger one." Ennis suggested. "You could do what work on it you wanted to, and hire out what you didn't wanna do. That way, you'd have both. If that's what you wanted."

"I do love the ranch and workin on it. Kenny and Victor and Lucas do too." Bobby said. "I don't know which I like the best. Ranchin or photography."

"Well there's no law says you gotta choose, Bobby." Jack said. "Take your time. When the time comes, you'll know what you want to do. And whatever it is, I want you to know that I'm behind you all the way."

"Thanks Dad!" Bobby said and stuffed the photos back into the envelope. "The guys and I are gonna go into town now and see about gettin copies of these made and maybe pick out some frames. You need anythin from town?"

"No thanks, Son." Jack said, and as Bobby left the room Jack added, "I got everythin I'll ever need sittin right here next to me.

Ennis gave him a grin. "You know, Bud. It's like we're livin in a movie or somethin."

"Yeah, Cowboy." Jack agreed. "The very best kind a movie. The kind with a happy endin."

"Any movie with you and me endin up together is the best kind a movie." Ennis said and laughed out loud as Carrie roller skated into the room and tumbled into his lap.

THE END

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